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This paper reports a novel analytic model of this multichannel spark discharge, considering the delay time in the breakdown process, the electric transforming of the discharge channel from a capacitor to a resistor induced by the air breakdown, and the varying plasma resistance in the discharge process. The good agreement between the experimental and the simulated results validated the accuracy of this model. Based on this model, the influence of the circuit parameters on the maximum discharge channel number (MDCN) is investigated. Both the input voltage amplitude and the breakdown voltage threshold of each discharge channel play a critical role. With the increase of the input voltage and the decrease of the breakdown voltage, the MCDN increases almost linearly. With the increase of the discharge capacitance, the MDCN first rises and then remains almost constant. With the increase of the circuit inductance, the MDCN increases slowly but decreases quickly when the inductance increases over a certain value. There is an optimal value of the capacitor connected to the discharge channel corresponding to the MDCN. Finally, based on these results, to shorten the discharge time, a modified multichannel discharge circuit is developed and validated by the experiment. With only 6-kV input voltage, 31-channels discharge is achieved. The breakdown voltage of each electrode gap is larger than 3 kV. The modified discharge circuit is certain to be widely used in the PSJA flow control field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis model of the dV/dt capability for a metal—oxide—semiconductor (MOS) controlled thyristor (MCT) is developed. It is shown that, in addition to the P-well resistance reported previously, the existence of the OFF-FET channel resistance in the MCT may degrade the dV/dt capability. Lower P-well and N-well dosages in the MCT are useful in getting a lower threshold voltage of OFF-FET and then a higher dV/dt immunity. However, both dosages are restricted by the requirements for the blocking property and the forward conduction capability. Thus, a double variable lateral doping (DVLD) technique is proposed to realize a high dV/dt immunity without any sacrifice in other properties. The accuracy of the developed model is verified by comparing the obtained results with those from simulations. In addition, this DVLD MCT features mask-saving compared with the conventional MCT fabrication process. The excellent device performance, coupled with the simple fabrication, makes the proposed DVLP MCT a promising candidate for capacitor discharge applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]