A Plasma Switch Induced by Electroexplosion of p-n Junction for Mini Exploding Foil Initiator

In this paper, a possible conduction model of a kind of plasma switch induced by electroexplosion of the p-n junction was established to better understand the underlying mechanism. The model showed that the resistance of the plasma switch is considerable before switching and a constant during closing, which was validated by complementary experiments. Additionally, several parameters were defined to evaluate the performance of this type of plasma switch. Finally, a highly integrated microchip exploding foil initiator (McEFI) was designed and fabricated using the microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. Electrical characterizations, ignition test, and initiation test were conducted to demonstrate the capability of the McEFI, as well as the plasma switch, and the results indicated that the minimum firing voltage is 1150 V/0.15 μF, providing new ideas for the development of not only McEFI but also low-energy EFI (LEEFI).