Fast optically triggered superconducting switch for high-power voltage transient generation

It was shown that the generation by a superconducting, light triggered switch of electrical pulses having sub-nanosecond rise times and high (up to several hundred V) amplitudes is due to the simultaneous optical and electrical demolishing of the superconducting state. The biasing of the superconductor by a short (nanosecond) electric pulse up to the appearance of the "mixed" state significantly decreases the energy of the light pulse necessary for high-power voltage transient generation.