Reactive semiconductor bridge with oxide overcoat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054406-B2
Application number	US-201615274027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Mar 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

A device comprises a reactive semiconductor bridge including a conductive metal, a reactive material, and an overcoat. When a high current passes through the reactive semiconductor bridge, the conductive metal vaporizes into a high temperature plasma. The reactive material is coupled to the conductive metal such that the conductive metal experiences an exothermic reaction to the plasma. When the conductive metal turns to plasma, the overcoat material absorbs at least a part of the exothermic reaction of the reactive material and breaks into a plurality of particles that are propelled away from the bridge. A gap is disposed between the overcoat and a membrane, and an explosive material couples to the membrane. The plurality of particles crosses the gap and penetrates the membrane to ignite the explosive material in response to being propelled away from the bridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a pair of electrically conductive pads spaced apart and electrically connected by a bridge portion;
a reactive material over the bridge portion such that, in response to the bridge portion turning to plasma, the reactive material experiences an exothermic reaction; and
an overcoat over the reactive material, wherein the overcoat includes a layer of material comprised of a strong-bonded oxide, wherein:
when installed in a device including a membrane and a gap, the apparatus is spaced from the membrane by the gap;
and in response to the bridge portion turning to plasma, the strong-bonded oxide of the layer of material:
absorbs at least a part of the exothermic reaction of the reactive material; and
breaks into particles that are propelled away from the bridge portion such that at least one particle has sufficient mass to penetrate the membrane spaced from the bridge portion by the gap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bridge portion is at least one of aluminum, titanium, or palladium.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reactive material is at least one of zirconium or boron.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the strong-bonded oxide of the overcoat comprises silicon dioxide; and
the particles are formed from the silicon dioxide as a plurality of molten particles.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the pair of electrically conductive pads spaced apart and electrically connected by the bridge portion comprise a conductive metal such that when a high electrical current passes through the bridge portion, the conductive metal in the bridge portion vaporizes into the plasma.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the gap is at least three millimeters.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
an explosive material on an opposite side of the membrane as the gap, wherein the at least one particle that penetrates the membrane has sufficient energy to detonate the explosive material.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
the explosive material is a primary explosive.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
the explosive material is free of a primary explosive.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the membrane is paper.

11. A method of initiating an explosive event comprises:
receiving by a reactive semiconductor bridge device, an initiating voltage signal, where the reactive semiconductor bridge device includes:
a pair of electrically conductive pads spaced apart and electrically connected by a bridge portion;
a reactive layer over the bridge portion; and
an overcoat over the reactive layer, wherein the overcoat includes a material comprised of a strong-bonded oxide;
wherein the initiating voltage signal is received across the pair of contact pads;

converting the received voltage into a high current passing through the bridge portion so as to vaporize the bridge portion into a high-temperature plasma; and
forcing an exothermic reaction by the plasma in the reactive layer such that the exothermic reaction of the reactive layer gets at least partially absorbed in the strong-bonded oxide of the overcoat, such that the strong-bonded oxide of the overcoat breaks into a plurality of particles that are propelled by the exothermic reaction away from the bridge portion.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising propelling the particles across a gap to penetrate a membrane.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising propelling the particles across a gap to penetrate a membrane with sufficient energy to detonate an explosive material positioned on the opposite side of the membrane as the gap.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Burky Thomas E
• Carpenter Jeffrey P
• Dues Laura

Classifications

• F42B3/13 Primary

  with semiconductive bridge · CPC title

• F42B3/128

  characterised by the composition of the pyrotechnic material · CPC title