A Micro Bridge-Wing-Thickened Low-Energy Exploding Foil Initiator Chip

Abstract

To enhance the energy efficiency of exploding foil initiator systems (EFIs) and mitigate energy loss due to ablation in the bridge-wing regions, a low-energy bridge-wing-thickened EFI chip was designed and fabricated. Computational analysis revealed that increasing the thickness of the bridge flanks significantly reduces ablation within the bridge region during the electrical explosion. The refinement of the design led to the adoption of a bridge flank thickness of 19 μm, with the bridge area dimensions specified as 0.25 mm × 0.25 mm × 4 μm. This bridge-wing-thickened EFI chip was produced by employing micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology and underwent rigorous performance evaluations. The empirical results closely matched the computational predictions, thereby corroborating the precision of the proposed model in simulating the temperature distribution seen during the explosion process. Notably, this enhanced EFI design achieves a flyer velocity of 3800 m/s at a condition of 900 V/0.22 μF, signifying a significant advancement in EFI system efficiency and performance.