CIRCUIT MODELING OF A VACUUM GAP DURING BREAKDOWN

In this paper several aspects of circuit modeling of a vacuum gap duri ng breakdown are improved or introduced for the first time, More accur ate perveance formulas are derived by the method of tracing electron t rajectories ill the self-consistent electric field calculated by the f inite element method. The formula for maximum anode current density is also derived by the same method. A practical model of anode heating i s proposed, by which transient anode temperature is calculated coupled with gap voltage and current, providing more accurate modeling of ano de plasma initiation, The circuit model of a vacuum gap during breakdo wn incorporating all these features is implemented as a subcircuit ele ment in the PSPICE.