Influence of the electrode materials on performance of plasma opening switch

To compare erosion characteristics between different metallic materials, four metallic materials, namely duralumin, durimet, industrial pure molybdenum and copper-tungsten alloy, are used as plasma opening switch test-bed cathode under the impulse current condition for conduction time up to 3 microseconds, and their surface morphology and erosion characteristics are investigated by means of surface microcosmic analysis. The influences of the material microstructure, chemical composition and properties on their erosion characteristics and switch performance are analyzed.