The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 09, 1994
Filed:
Oct. 20, 1992
Dan M Goebel, Tarzana, CA (US);
Robert L Poeschel, Thousands Oaks, CA (US);
Ronnie M Watkins, Agoura, CA (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A CROSSATRON plasma switch has a peak current capability in excess of 10kA and a switching speed of at least 1.times.10.sup.11 A/sec, making it compatible with the requirements of excimer and CO.sub.2 gas laser switches, and yet is small enough to be mechanically integrated with such lasers. It employs an axially corrugated cathode with a body diameter on the order of 10 cm and shallow corrugations whose depths are about 1.0-1.5 times the distance between corrugations, together with a reduced diameter anode (of about 2.5 cm diameter for an excimer laser and about 1.25 cm diameter for a CO.sub.2 laser), to obtain a plasma volume of about 50-100 cm.sup.3 for rapid switching. A magnet assembly around the cathode uses only two stacked magnets, but has an overall greater axial length and surface magnetic strength than in prior switches. The magnet design produces a high field strength near the cathode, but without a significant extension of the field into the anode region.