Research on the triggering process of a laser-triggered vacuum switch

The laser-triggered vacuum switch (LTVS) is a type of high-voltage closing switch with broad application prospects in pulsed-power technology. Research into the triggering process of the LTVS is not only helpful to understand the triggering mechanism of the LTVS but also beneficial to the optimization of the LTVS. In this paper, the triggering process and the delay time of a LTVS with a Ti–KCl mixture target was analyzed theoretically. A numerical simulation was performed to describe the laser-target ablation process and the expansion dynamics of the initial plasma. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results. It is clear that the triggering process and delay time strongly depend on the laser intensity. As the laser intensity rises, the velocity of initial plasma increases, resulting in a shorter delay time of the LTVS. Increasing the gap voltage can also shorten the delay time.