Effect of cathode material on the opening performance of microsecond-conduction-time plasma opening switch

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of cathode material on the opening performance of microsecond-conduction-time plasma opening switch with cathode made of aluminum, stainless steel, molybdenum and tungsten. Remarkably different opening characteristics have been shown for these materials, with tungsten or molybdenum corresponding to better opening performance than aluminum or stainless steel. Heuristic physical explanations are proposed for understanding the switch behavior.