HADES ball switch design

Unlike regular spark gap switches, formed by one single current channel, ball switches allow to multiple current channels to form inside one single switch, de facto reducing the overall inductance of the switch. Splitting the current into multiple channels inside the switch also improves its lifetime. To reduce the overall brick inductance of HADES, the High Amperage Driver for Extreme States built at the University of Rochester, we designed and tested a ±100 kV ball switch, that uses pressurized, synthetic air as its insulating medium. The switch can sustain up to 50 kA, for hundreds of nanoseconds. We will show how the charge voltage and trigger pulse impact switch jitter. Several electric field grading methods will also be presented.