Features of Pulse Discharge Formation in Trigger Units of Cold-Cathode Thyratrons

The paper deals with the investigation of the auxiliary discharge and of the pulse discharge in the trigger unit of the thyratron. The main direction of activity is to provide the nanosecond device triggering with a low jitter in the delay time. For some samples of the devices, it has been revealed that the auxiliary discharge from pulse to pulse can develop both inside the cavities of the trigger unit, which corresponds to the correct regime of operation, and over a long path when current flows from the outer surface of the trigger electrode. This results in changing the delay time to triggering the thyratron from pulse to pulse. The upgraded device with the novel trigger unit has been developed where the effect is suppressed.