Ferroelectric opening switch
| DWPI Title: Ferroelectric opening switch for compact pulsed-power system, has polarization reversal of electric dipoles is nucleated at nucleation sites when electric field is applied, and changing current flow in switch |
| Abstract: A ferroelectric opening switch is enabled by controlled polarization switching via nucleation in a ferroelectric material, such as BaTiO3, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3, LiNbO3, LiTaO3, or variants thereof. For example, nucleation sites can be provided by mechanical seeding, grain boundaries, or optical illumination. The invention can be used as an opening switch in large scale pulsed-power systems. However, the switch can also be used in compact pulsed-power systems (e.g., as drivers for high power microwave systems), as passive fault limiters for high voltage dc (HVDC) systems, and/or in other high power applications. |
| Use: Ferroelectric opening switch for compact pulsed-power system e.g. driver for high power microwave system. |
| Advantage: The switch increases the number and spatial uniformity of the nucleation sites presumably increases the switching uniformity and rate. The approach enables precise control of nucleation density and switching dynamics in an already fabricated material that is used as an opening switch. The phase field simulations shows both the applied field are reduced significantly from the coercive field with the amount of field enhancement provided by the nucleation sites and the time required to fully switch polarization states are similarly reduced as the physical size of the indents increases. |
| Novelty: The ferroelectric opening switch has a ferroelectric material that comprising crystal having a permanent electric dipole determined by the crystallographic symmetry of the ferroelectric material and a having multiple nucleation sites. A voltage source for applying an electric field to the ferroelectric material. The polarization reversal of the electric dipoles is nucleated at the nucleation sites when the electric field is applied, and changing current flow in the switch. The ferroelectric material comprises barium titanate (BaTiO3), lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr,Ti)O3), lithium niobium trioxide (LiNbO3) or lithium tantalum oxide (LiTaO3). |
| Filed: 4/25/2016 |
| Application Number: US15137539A |
| Tech ID: SD 13028.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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