An experimental study of the dependence on the current intensity ofthe erosion of thoriated tungsten cathodes in plasma arcs

The erosion occurring in thoriated tungsten cathodes used in transferred plasma torches operating with current intensities ranging from 30 to 210 A has been experimentally investigated. The cathode erosion rate was determined by measuring the cathode's weight loss after arcing, and the eroded cathode surface was explored by a scanning electron microscope and an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. It has been discovered that a critical current intensity, I_CR ~ 50 A, exists for which the cathode erosion rate becomes maximum     

Vacuum discharge from perovskite oxide electrodes

This paper presents results of the investigation of electrical discharge in vacuum from perovskite-like La_0.7Sr_0.3CoO₃ and YBa₂Cu ₃O_6.95 electrodes. Data are given on the local chemical composition of cathode surfaces subjected to nanosecond high-current arc discharges and on the erosion of ceramic cathode materials. The results of measurements of the work function and of the emission capability of extended ceramic cathodes and of field emission characteristics of clean surfaces of perovskite-like oxides are presented. A comparative analysis has been carried out of the behavior of ceramic cathodes with results obtained from the discharge of metallic electrodes     

X-ray radiography of aluminum cathodes eroded in high-current vacuum arcs

The aim of the study presented in this paper was to characterize quantitatively the erosion of aluminum cathodes in high-current vacuum arcs. The experimental setup comprised two current generators. The first one, capable of generating a current of amplitude up to 350 kA, was used to produce a plasma jet, that is, the object to be investigated. The second generator was used to produce a source of probe radiation for imaging the object under investigation in soft x rays of energy ?ν ≈ 0.5–3 keV. The findings of the study are based on experimental data obtained by electrophysical and radiographic methods. It has been shown that the cathode erosion rate in a high-current vacuum arc is a function of the charge passed through the cathode.     

Erosion Craters and Arc Cathode Spots in Vacuum

The development of erosion craters on clean, smooth cathodes in UHV has been investigated with a time resolution of nanoseconds (current range 10–200 A). Furthermore, crater size erosion rate and velocity of spot displacement have been measured in dependence on current and surface conditions. The relevance of the results for different cathode spot models is discussed in detail. From the measurements the following conclusions are drawn. The craters are caused by the action of the discharge pressure on the molten metal within a spot. The spots move in a random manner in elementary steps of a crater radius with time constants of the order of 10^?8 s. The main reason for the movement is the formation of micropoints at crater boundaries. Droplets and contaminations induce jumps of more than a crater radius. The impact of droplets causes considerable deformations of the cathode surface. Nanosecond pulse breakdowns and quasi-stationary arcs result in values of crater size, spot velocity and erosion rate that are comparable within an order of magnitude. These results support a non-stationary spot model that describes the cathode spot as a sequence of surface explosions.     

Arc spot scanning of tube electrodes in gas-vortex plasmatorches

The peculiarities of cooling of stationary working hot and cold cathodes are under consideration. Scientific premises of the advisability of the tube electrodes arc-spot scanning are presented. The classification of the scanning methods is given. The assumption has been made that the phenomena of auto-electron emission of electrons in vacuum discharge tubes and in arc chambers of plasmatorches under the pressure equal or above atmospheric are somehow similar. The optimum scanning frequency and achievable values of the end-face tube cathode life-time have been estimated. Owing to the magnetic scanning, the area of the electrode surface, which is swept by the arc spot, increases one order or more, resulting in better cooling and reduced specific erosion. The continuous electrode lifetime becomes several orders longer than it is during the work without scanning.     

Model of liquid-metal splashing in the cathode spot of a vacuum arc discharge

The formation of microjets is studied during the extrusion of a melted metal by the plasma pressure from craters formed on a cathode in a burning vacuum arc. An analytic model of liquid-metal splashing that includes two stages is proposed. At the first stage, the liquid motion has the axial symmetry and a liquid-metal wall surrounding the crater is formed. At the second stage, the axial symmetry is broken due to the development of the Plateau–Rayleigh instability in the upper part of the wall. The wall breakup process is shown to have a threshold. The minimal plasma pressure and the minimal electric current flowing through the crater required for obtaining the liquid-metal splashing regime are found. The basic spatial and temporal characteristics of the jet formation process are found using the analytic model.     

Derivation of a modified paraxial formalism for two-dimensional trajectories in electron and ion sources of non-simple geometries

A modified paraxial formalism has been developed which describes two-dimensional charged particle beam dynamics in electron and ion sources with pointed or needle-type geometries. A Hamiltonian formalism, and a more exact treatment of energy conservation is used to derive the modified paraxial equation for two-dimensional trajectories in systems with axially symmetric prolate-spheroidal beams. Calculations have been done for a gallium field emission liquid metal ion source modeled by a hyperboloid of revolution and planar extractor. Two important conclusions emerge from these calculations: i) The dominant effect of space-charge, for source geometries with small radii of curvature, occurs in the region close to the apex (<0.05 n) and ii) beam divergence has a strong dependence on geometry. This latter effect is a consequence of large two-dimensional field gradients near the apex of sources with needle-type or pointed geometry.This work was supported in part by the Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation, Grant No. DMR-8108829     

Influence of Surface Contaminations on Cathode Processes of Vacuum Discharges

The influence of surface contaminations on the ignition and maintenance of vacuum discharges is discussed qualitatively. Surface analysis of the electrodes and gas analysis during the discharges demonstrate that fresh electrodes contain always impurities within the upper surface layers, which affect the behaviour of vacuum arcs and vacuum breakdowns. The most effective way for cleaning the surfaces are the discharges themselves, if they burn in UHV. During that cleaning the following variations have been found: Are cathodes spots change from rapid moving ones with small erosion (type 1) to slow ones with strong erosion (type 2). The ignition of nanosecond discharges needs higher field strength and field emission current density. Polishing effects by short discharges (< 5 ns) become more pronounced. Erosion craters in nanosecond discharges increase.     

Sensors measuring oxygen activity in melts: Development of impedance method for“in-situ” diagnostics and control electrolyte/liquid-metal electrode interface

An impedance method for periodic“in-situ” diagnostics of the solid electrolyte/liquid-metal electrode interface during the lifespan of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based sensors measuring oxygen partial pressure in melts was developed. It was found that the impact of polarization effects on YSZ, stipulated by corrosive measuring environments (molten alkaline metals), is increasing with increase of the working temperature, which may lead to the appearance blocking reaction layers at the electrolyte/liquid-metal electrode interface. The proposed impedance method allows obtaining necessary information about the electrolyte/liquid-metal electrode interface and about the character and the level of polarization of the liquid-metal electrode.     

Investigation of Thermochemical Zirconium Cathodes in Nitrogen

For arcs with zirconium cathodes in nitrogen, experimental results are presented about changes of material and structure of the cathode, temperature fields, current densities, heat flows, electron work function and erosion rate. The cathode heat regime is described theoretically. In the experiments, the arc current was 50–200 A.     

Cathode Erosion in Vacuum Arcs and Unipolar Arcs

The cathode spots from vacuum arcs on 316 stainless steel are compared with the tracks found on the same material after exposure to the plasma of the tokamak TFR 600. Further the erosion yields of vacuum arc cathodes of 316 stainless steel and titanium are determined from experiments and the measured values are compared with theoretical estimates. The velocity of the arc is investigated as a function of the applied magnetic cross-field. The scatter of both, the velocity data and the erosion yields is substantial. Improved experiments are planned.     

Anomalous compressibility and metallization of deuterium and hydrogen at high pressures

The high compressibilities recorded in experiments on liquid-deuterium compression and the significant scatter of experimentally measured densities in the region of anomalous compressibilities are explained by the manifestations of an unusual dielectric-metal phase transition: from a dense molecular gas to a liquid-metal atomic gas. This transition has previously been described by us and called the dissociative phase transition (DPT). The dissociative equilibrium curves, the isotherms, the DPT binodal, and the Hugoniot adiabat have been calculated. The DPT has been shown to be a transition of a new, non-van der Waals type.     

Use of a liquid-metal cathode in high-vacuum studies of electric breakdown

Studies of electric breakdown in a high vacuum involving liquid-metal (mercury and gallium) cathodes, whose surfaces are stabilized by centrifugal forces, have shown that an increase in the angular velocity at which the experimental apparatus rotates causes an increase in the breakdown field; the mechanism for the vacuum breakdown is found to be independent of the voltage across the electrodes. According to the Frenkel theory, vacuum breakdown results from a disruption of the steady state on the liquid-cathode surface in an electric field. Drops of liquid metal on the anode degrade the dielectric properties of the vacuum gap. Under these conditions, the breakdown mechanism becomes dependent on the voltage across the electrodes. Oxide films on the cathode surface also degrade the dielectric properties of the vacuum gap. It is suggested that the dielectric may be charged by positive ions emitted from the cathode.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 44–49, April, 1969.     

Physical operating principles of scandate cathodes for microwave devices

The electronic structure of barium oxide crystallites determining the emission properties of both dispenser and scandate cathodes has been studied using electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and optical spectroscopy. It has been established that the other elements (calcium, aluminum, scandium, and tungsten) contained in cathode materials are diluted in barium oxide and significantly affect its electronic structure and, consequently, emission properties. The obtained results give an idea about the physical and physicochemical mechanisms of the effect of scandium on the reduction of the work function of scandate cathodes relative to that of the cathodes of other types.     

Experimental study of the effect of nitrogen on titanium-arccathode erosion

Experimental data on the dependence of titanium erosion rate on cathode temperature, Ar, and N₂ pressure from vacuum to 1 torr and arc motion are presented. Erosion rate is found to decrease with conditions that promote cathode poisoning/contamination. Higher cathode temperatures result in enhanced nitriding (poisoning), leading to a reduced erosion rate. A critical nitrogen pressure (0.001 torr) exists where a sharp drop in erosion is measured. Steered arcs show lower erosion rate values of 38 and 15 μg/C for argon and nitrogen, when compared to random arc values of 45 and 35 μg/C. Erosion rate studies on TiN-coated cathodes show a low value of around 22 μg/C     

Effect of the pulse repetition rate on the composition and ioncharge-state distribution of pulsed vacuum arcs

The plasma composition and ion charge-state distributions of pulsed vacuum arcs have been investigated for carbon, aluminum, silver, platinum, and tantalum cathodes using a time-of-flight (TOF) charge-to-mass spectrometer. With the exception of carbon, it was found that all results depend on the arc pulse repetition rate, a fact which, up to now, has not been reported in the literature. It is shown that adsorption of gas on the cathode between are pulses leads to contamination of the metal plasma and to a reduction of metal ion charge states. These usually undesired effects can be avoided by operating at high arc pulse repetition rates of order 10 Hz or more. The results can be interpreted in terms of cathode spot type 1 (on contaminated cathode surfaces) and type 2 (on clean surfaces) which are well known from their different brightness and erosion behaviour. The transition between these modes was found to be gradual     

Erosion Phenomena on Contaminated Cathodes Caused by Electrical Discharges in Ultra High Vacuum

Self-limiting discharges occur on contaminated cathodes in UHV without any contribution of the anode. They propagate over the cathode surface with velocities ≥ 5.10⁴ m/s, preferentially along grain boundaries. From these observations an analogy is suggested between micro-discharges in high voltage gaps and are spots with weak erosion.     

Relative work function, surface composition and topography of “pedigreed” impregnated tungsten dispenser cathodes

A study has been made of the variation in work function, surface composition, and topography of 5:3:2 impregnated tungsten dispenser cathodes made under carefully controlled conditions (pedigreed cathodes). Despite these conditions several cathodes had unexpected deposits on their emitting surfaces, and one showed a variation in work function and composition across the surface during activation.     

Investigations about triggering of coaxial multichannel pseudosparkswitches

A fundamental problem of pseudospark switches is erosion in the borehole area. One way to reduce erosion is to distribute the current to several discharge channels. Essential for multichannel operation is a reliable ignition of all these channels. The aim of this work was to find out the requirements for a trigger for multichannel pseudospark switches and to develop a suitable trigger device. The investigations were made with a three channel pseudospark switch. The developed trigger is a pulsed hollow cathode discharge with a 3 mA dc-preionization. A trigger voltage of 4 kV results in a current of about 6 A in the hollow cathode of the trigger-section. This hollow cathode discharge causes a trigger current into the hollow cathodes of the pseudospark chambers. The trigger current which is necessary to ignite an equally distributed discharge has to be at least 3 mA into each main switch hollow cathode. A jitter of 2 ns was achieved for the coaxial multichannel pseudospark switch     

新型的覆纳米粒子薄膜阴极的研究

采用直流磁控溅射的方法制备出Ir金属纳米粒子薄膜.利用扫描电子显微镜分析了纳米粒子的形态和分布以及不同工艺条件对粒子粒径及形貌的影响,表明纳米粒子的大小可通过调节溅射气体压强来控制.在25%孔度的W海绵基体内浸入6∶1∶2铝酸盐发射物质,然后在其表面沉积上厚度为200—500 nm的纳米粒子薄膜层,最后在H₂气中1200℃烧结,即制成了新型纳米粒子薄膜阴极.利用阴极发射微观均匀性测试仪对纳米粒子薄膜阴极和传统覆膜阴极的热电子发射的均匀性进行了对比研究.采用飞行时间质谱仪测试了真空本底、纳米粒子薄膜阴极、传统覆膜阴极等各种阴极蒸发物的成分,研究了阴极蒸发速率与阴极温度的关系,比较了不同阴极蒸发速率的大小.研究了Ba-W阴极覆上纳米粒子薄膜后的发射特性. 关键词： 纳米粒子薄膜 热阴极 发射均匀性 蒸发