Ultra-fast UV-triggered high voltage diamond switch

Summary form only given. Diamond has unique properties that make it an ideal material for use in a high power, high repetition rate switch, particularly for high temperature applications. Diamond has an extremely high electrical breakdown strength (/spl sim/10 MV/cm) which allows for high voltage switches in compact packages. Diamond is a very wide bandgap (5.5 eV) material. The wide bandgap not only reduces the leakage current but allows the fabrication of devices that are not semiconductor, junction type devices. Because diamond is not doped to act like a semiconductor, it switches from its normal insulator state to conducting state. This in turn permits bipolar conduction in diamond devices, another advantage over junction switches. In addition to these advantages, diamond's superior thermal properties and fast turn-on/turn-off make it well suited to high repetition rate, high power applications. The switch conducts when an electron beam or UV radiation is absorbed within the diamond. Conduction ceases upon the cessation of the incident radiation. A simple model has been developed that predicts the performance of UV triggered diamond switches with respect to efficiency, optimum current and optimum UV input power. This model predicts that for certain applications efficiencies of >130% can be obtained. Based on this model we have created a laser triggered diamond switch that produces 100 kV, 5 ns long pulses with a rise and fall time of <1 ns. Data from the 100 kV switch and model will be presented.