High-Power Microwave Switching Utilizing Low- Temperature Gas Discharge Tube

Microwave breakdown of gas and formation of plasma can be a destructive effect that limits power handling of highfrequency devices and circuits with small gaps
¹
,
²
. When such plasma is formed, the insulated air gaps are transformed into conductive regions. Although this phenomenon can result in performance degradation or even device failure, it can alternatively be useful for some high power devices such as limiters
³
, attenuators
⁴
and switches. In microwave-induced plasma, the incoming wave is employed for plasma ignition, and hence there is no concern about power consumption. Also, microwave-driven plasma can operate in the α-discharge regime
⁵
even at atmospheric pressure and thus requires lower operating voltage and power
⁶
and has much higher stability and much longer lifetime in comparison with dc plasma
³
.