The performance of externally controlled, high‐pressure, diffuse discharges as switching elements in pulse power systems is strongly determined by the recombination and attachment processes in the fill gas. To obtain high control efficiency and fast response of the diffuse discharge switch the discharge must be attachment dominated with the attachment rate coefficient increasing with field strength. An electron‐beam controlled diffuse discharge system was constructed to study the behavior of pulsed discharges in the submicrosecond range in gas mixtures containing N2as a buffer gas and small additives of electronegative gases. The results of experiments in N2plus N2O were compared with values obtained with a Monte Carlo code and a rate equation calculation.