Abstract
An electrically triggered multichannel surface spark gap has been developed for use in parallel-plate transmission line systems and fast high pressure gas discharge lasers. The switch is pressurised with N2-SF6 mixtures and holds off 35 kV at a gap separation of 5 mm. Dense multichanneling with up to 1000 channel m-1 is obtained over a wide range of operating parameters. Gap voltage decay times of 4 ns and breakdown delays of 5 ns with <or approximately=100 ps jitter have been observed. The spark gap has been incorporated into an excimer laser system resulting in significantly improved discharge quality and a substantial increase in output energy.

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