An arc shield surrounding an outer peripheral side of a fixed electrode and a movable electrode is provided, in addition to a fixed-side insulating unit in which a fixed-side insulator is provided to be connected coaxially with the arc shield on the fixed side in the axial direction of the arc shield, and a movable-side insulating unit in which movable-side insulators are provided to be connected coaxially with the arc shield on the movable side in the axial direction of the arc shield. The movable-side insulating unit has an insulator group in which movable-side insulators are provided to be connected in the axial direction, an insulator-group-side sub shield surrounding the outer peripheral side of a movable-side energizing shaft, and an insulator-group-side sub shield support part which is on the outer peripheral surface of the insulator-group-side sub shield and interposed between two adjacent movable-side insulators of the insulator group.

A vacuum valve includes: an insulation container; a fixed-side electrode including a fixed-side contact, a fixed-side longitudinal magnetic-field coil generating a magnetic field on a surface of the fixed-side contact in an axial direction, and a fixed-side spacer; and a movable-side electrode including a movable-side contact, a movable-side longitudinal magnetic-field coil generating a magnetic field on a surface of the movable-side contact in the axial direction, and a movable-side spacer. The fixed-side longitudinal magnetic-field coil and the movable-side longitudinal magnetic-field coil each include an outer ring portion having an arc shape and a power feeding portion protruding from an end of the outer ring portion. The fixed-side or movable-side contact is brazed to the power feeding portion. The fixed-side and movable-side spacers are made of a material with lower conductivity than materials of the fixed-side and movable-side longitudinal magnetic-field coils, or made of an insulator.

The invention provides a contact for a high-voltage vacuum arc extinguishing chamber. The contact of the invention includes a conductive connecting piece, an annular outer contact and an inner contact which is located within the ring of the outer contact and does not contact with the outer contact. The conductive connecting piece, inner contact and outer contact are coaxial and the contact surface of the inner contact is on the same plane as that of the outer contact. The outer contact is fixed on the conductive connecting piece. An axial magnetic field means is covered outside of the conductive connecting piece for generating an axial magnetic field. The axial magnetic field means is fixedly connected with the conductive connecting piece. The inner contact is fixed on the conductive connecting piece. A circumferential magnetic field means is covered outside of the conductive connecting piece for generating a circumferential magnetic field.