Design, fabrication and performance test of an integrated exploding foil initiator system

The integration method of exploding foil initiator system (EFIs) used to be researched to broaden its application range in military and aerospace in the last few decades. In order to lower the firing voltage below 1 kV, an integrated EFIs with enhanced energy efficiency was designed. Corresponding exploding foil initiator chips were fabricated in batch via micro electromechanical systems technology by integrating a unified foil, a flyer layer and a barrel on a glass substrate successively, meanwhile its package of the whole system was proposed at a volume of 2.194 cm³. The structural parameters were determined by predicted performance including flyer velocity, impact behavior and conduction property via the proposed theoretical models and the static electric field simulation. As expect, this integrated EFIs exhibited excellent functions, which could accelerate the flyer to a terminal velocity over 4 km/s and preeminently initiate HNS-IV pellet at a circuit of 0.24 μF/0.9 kV. Furthermore, the theoretical design, fabrication and performance test have been all included to validate the feasibility of this integrated EFIs that was beneficial for its commercial development in the future.