L-3 PS has a number of active programs seeking to develop high voltage optically-activated thyristors for the replacement of thyratrons and gas switches in repetitive, long lifetime and/or compact pulsed power systems. Present sponsorship comes from both the DOE and DOD. For these efforts L-3 PS has assembled a team, with members each specializing in critical technology elements, and L-3 PS as the overall component with subsystem integrator.

Much emphasis has been placed on conformal designs and packaging, so that the overall switch package integrates well with low inductance topologies. A major goal of this development is to enable the use of solid-state switched Marx and Marx-PFN generators in repetitive, long-life applications.