Charge state and residence time of metal ions generated from amicrosecond vacuum arc

Metal ions generated from a microsecond vacuum arc were measured using a time-of-flight (TOF) method. A point-plane vacuum gap was fired by an impulse voltage to generate metal ions. The risetime and time constant for the decay of the arc current were 0.1 and 4.5 μs, respectively. TOF ion currents were measured for variable ion extraction times after the arc ignition. At a lead cathode, Pb⁺ and Pb ⁺⁺ ions were detected for ion extraction times less than 45 μs. The average charge-state fractions of the Pb⁺ and Pb ⁺⁺ ions were 91 and 9%, respectively. At a copper cathode, Cu ⁺, Cu⁺⁺, and Cu⁺⁺⁺ ions were detected for ion-extraction times less than 12.5 μs, and the average charge-state fractions were 42, 41, and 17%, respectively. The residence times of the generated lead and copper ions were also discussed     

Measurements of vacuum arc ion charge-state distributions

The charge-state distribution of ions generated in the metal vapor vacuum arc under a wide range of experimental conditions was measured. The experiments were carried out using an ion source in which the metal vapor vacuum arc is used as the method of plasma production and by which a high-quality, high-current beam of metal ions is produced. Charge-state spectra were measured using a time-of-flight diagnostic; arc voltages were also measured. Parameters that were varied include cathode material, arc current, axial magnetic field strength, neutral gas pressure, and arc geometry     

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     

Temperature Dependence of Retrograde Velocity of Vacuum Arcs in Magnetic Fields

Retrograde velocity of vacuum arcs in transverse magnetic fields is known to depend on, among other things, the magnetic induction, the arc current, the electrode spacing, the cathode material, and the cathode surface condition, and was also found to depend on the cathode temperature. Using the optical method, the retrograde velocity was measured as a function of the cathode temperature with copper, aluminum, and stainless steel as cathode materials. The optical measurement shows that by increasing the cathode temperature, the arc velocity decreases. It appears that with the increase in the cathode temperature, the decrease of the arc velocity is related to the increase of the cathode crater radius. The experimentally measured temperature dependence of the retrograde velocity of vacuum arcs can be explained by the ion jet model for retrograde motion of vacuum arcs [10]. The relative decrease of retrograde velocity as a function of the cathode temperature calculated according to this model agrees quantitatively with the reported measurements.     

含氢电极真空弧放电等离子体时空分布特性研究

真空弧离子源在真空镀膜、材料表面改性、真空大电流开关、加速器离子注入等领域有广泛应用,目前国内外对真空弧放电等离子体的研究主要针对纯金属或合金电极,对含氢电极的研究和公开报道较少.本文利用高时空分辨的四分幅图像诊断系统,结合氢和钛原子特征线单色器件,研究了含氢钛电极的真空弧微秒级脉冲放电等离子体的轴向和径向时空分布特性.研究表明:在真空击穿阶段,阳极区域发光更为明显,阳极电极解吸附释放的氢原子是引发击穿的主要放电介质;在真空弧阶段,阴极-绝缘-真空三结合点处产生圆锥状阴极斑,喷射出大量的等离子体以维持弧放电,同时电极内壁非阴极斑区域也有少量等离子体产生,等离子体中H原子的轴向和径向空间分布均比Ti原子均匀.     

Ion flux from the cathode region of a vacuum arc

The properties of the ion flux generated in a vacuum arc are reviewed. The structure and distribution of mass erosion from individual cathode spots and the characteristics of current carriers from the cathode region at moderate arc currents are described. An appreciable ion flux (~10% of the total arc current) is emitted from the cathode of a vacuum arc. This ion flux is strongly peaked in the direction of the anode, although some ion flux may be seen even at angles below the plane of the cathode surface. The observed spatial distribution of the ion flux is expressed quite well as an exponential function of the solid angle. The ion flux is quite energetic, with average ion potentials much larger than the arc voltage, and generally contains a considerable fraction of multiply charged ions. The average ion potential and ion multiplicity increase significantly for cathode materials with higher arc voltages but decrease with increasing arc current for a particular material. The main theories concerning ion acceleration in cathode spots are the potential hump theory and the gas dynamic theory. Experimental data indicate that these theories serve reasonably well when used to predict the mean values of the charge state, ion potential, and ion energies for the ion flux, but are quite insufficient when compared with the results for the potentials and energies of individual ions     

在横向磁场中真空电弧后退速度和阴极温度的关系

本文用光学方法测定了在横向磁场中真空电弧后退运动的速度和阴极温度的关系。实验发现,随着阴极温度的增加,电弧的后退速度下降。实验测得的后退速度的温度关系可用真空电弧后退运动的正离子喷流模型加以解释。 关键词：     

Influence of a current jump on vacuum arc parameters

Based on time of flight method, influence of short time vacuum arc current jump on arc plasma parameters were investigated. Superposition of the current pulse of a vacuum arc with a high operating voltage results in the appearance of ions of higher charge state in the discharge plasma and in an increase in the mean ion charge state for most of the cathode materials used in the experiment. The method of a “short-time current jump” can be also used to investigate the parameters of a vacuum arc, in particular to estimate the ion direct velocities in vacuum arc plasmas. Our estimates show that in the presence of a current step the ion velocities are almost identical for all differently charged ions and depend only on the peak current and the ion mass     

Ion Flux from the Cathode Region of a Vacuum Arc

This paper reviews the properties of the cathode ion flux generated in the vacuum arc. The structure and distribution of mass erosion from individual cathode spots and the characteristics of current carriers from the cathode region at moderate arc currents are described. An appreciable ion flux (～10% of total arc current) is emitted from the cathode of a vacuum arc. This ion flux is strongly peaked in the direction of the anode, though some ion flux may be seen even at angles below the plane of the cathode surface. The observed spatial distribution of the ion flux is expressed quite well as an exponential function of solid angle. The ion flux is quite energetic, with average ion potentials much larger than the arc voltage, and generally contains a considerable fraction of multiply-charged ions. The average ion potential and ion multiplicity increase significantly for cathode materials with higher arc voltages, but decrease with increasing arc current for a particular material. The main theories concerning ion acceleration in cathode spots are the potential hump theory (PH), which assumes that all ions are created at the same potential, and the gas dynamic theory (GD), which assumes that all ions are created with the same flow velocity. Experimental data on the potentials and energies of individual ions indicates that these theories in their original forms are not quite correct, however extensions or modifications of the PH and GD theories seem very likely to be able to predict correct values for the charge states, potentials, and energies of individual ions.     

真空弧放电TiH合金阴极表面形貌分析

TiH合金电极是一种含氢量非常高的金属材料,用它作真空弧离子源的电极,可在真空环境下产生强度非常高的氢离子流。相比纯金属材料电极,TiH电极除了出现真空弧放电特有的融蚀现象外,还存在气体释放过程,所以它的表面形貌具有一定的独特性。利用扫描电子显微镜观察了单次放电和多次放电后阴极表面形貌,发现阴极斑在阴极表面微裂纹附近连续分布,气体释放生成很多小孔,使阴极斑区域呈絮状结构;弧流越大,阴极斑数量越多;多次放电后,阴极斑朝含氢量多的地方移动。该结果有助于了解含氢电极的真空弧放电过程,对该类放电的应用具有一定参考意义。     

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     

用于真空弧等离子体放电阴极温度场测量的多光谱高温计

阴极表面温度是真空弧等离子体放电过程中一个重要参数,对真空弧等离子体的形成、电极腐蚀预测、热传导以及离子源的寿命都有重要影响。真空弧离子源的阴极具有目标小,放电过程快等特点,其温度的测量,对于时间分辨率和空间分辨率要求都很高,阴极表面温度的测量技术的欠缺,使得仅靠理论解析获得的结果难以得到验证。并且等离子体放电过程中测量仪器极易受到弧光的影响,如何避免放电过程中等离子体的辐射也是采用辐射法测量阴极表面温度要考虑的问题。这无疑给其温度场的测试研究带来困难。针对脉冲真空弧等离子体开展阴极表面温度测试实验有着重要意义,在分析了真空弧等离子体放电特性以及背景辐射特性和等离子体放电阴极测温的实际需求,本文基于高速CCD相机研制了一种新型的多光谱高温计。该高温计采用单色高速CCD相机,主要避免RGB彩色相机不能完全滤除背景辐射的弧光。为使用单色CCD相机实现多光谱辐射测温,设计了高温计的光学系统,该系统采用4孔径分光系统。将4种不同波长的滤光片嵌入到1个滤光片中。该研究设计的高温计可用于2 000~6 000 K的等离子体温度测量。并在中国工程物理研究院电子工程研究所进行现场测试,测试过程中将研制的高温计,通过外部触发形式对等离子体放电过程进行跟踪拍摄,高温计完全拍摄到等离子体放电过程。利用真空弧等离子体金属电极阴极放电的实测数据对高温计进行了验证。实验结果表明,设计的新型多光谱高温计能够用于测量真空弧等离子体放电时阴极温度场信息,测量的温度值低于放电电极的沸点温度,与等离子体放电过程中出现气化现象相符,说明高温计测的是等离子体放电阴极的温度。     

Investigation of the Directional Velocities of Ions in a Vacuum Arc Discharge by Emission Methods

This paper is devoted to an investigation of the directional velocities of the ions generated in cathode spots of vacuum arc discharges. By using emission methods of studying the processes in a vacuum arc discharge, which involve the determination of the parameters and characteristics of the discharge plasma by analyzing the ion current extracted from the plasma and the ion charge states, the velocities of ions have been determined for the majority of cathode materials available in the periodic table. Is has been shown that at a low pressure of the residual gas in the discharge gap the directional velocities of the ions do not depend on the ion charge state. Comparison of the data obtained with calculated values allows the conclusion that the acceleration of ions in a vacuum arc occurs by the magnetohydrodynamic mechanism.     

Ion current collected at various distances and argon backgroundpressures in a copper vacuum arc

The ion current collected by a probe biased at the cathode potential and located behind an annular anode of a vacuum arc is measured as a function of distance to the cathode and background argon pressure. The arc is formed between a circular Cu cathode and an annular anode. Arc current is 170 A, and the arc duration is 0.9 s. The arc is ignited by momentary contact of a movable W trigger rod (held at anode potential) with the cathode. Arc voltage, arc current, and ion current are measured using an analog data acquisition card and a personal computer. Arc voltage and arc current values are stable during the arc and their normalized standard deviation is less than 0.07. Ion current is noisy and fluctuates during the arc with a normalized standard deviation that varies from 0.5 at p<0.1 torr up to more than 1.5 at p>1 torr     

Experimental observations of steady anodic vacuum arcs withthermionic cathodes

Stationary plasma discharges have been investigated in a high vacuum ambient (background gas pressure <10^-2 Pa), with an externally heated cathode and a consumable hot evaporating anode. With various anode materials like chromium or copper, and electrode separations between 0.5 and 3 mm, the nonself-sustained discharge operates with DC arc currents in the range of 220 A. The waveform of the arc voltage is strongly influenced by the magnetic field of the cathode heating current, and arc voltages between a minimum of 3 V and a maximum exceeding 100 V have been observed. The voltage-current characteristics (V_CC) and the influence of the electrode separation have been measured separately for the minimum and the maximum of the arc voltages and show a different behavior. The metal plasma expands into the ambient vacuum toward the walls of the vacuum vessel and offers a macroparticle free deposition source of thin films. The arc voltage can be varied by external manipulations of the arc discharge, and the mean ion energy of the expanding metal plasma shows a linear dependence of the mean arc voltage     

阴极真空弧离子源的研制

为发展金属离子束材料表面改性技术的工业应用，北师大低能核物理所研制成阴极真空弧离子源和离子注入装置．简要介绍该设备的结构、原理和性能． The cathode vacuum arc ion source and ion implantation facility have been developed in our institute for industrial application of surface modification of materials. In this paper the principle structure and performance of these facilities were described.     

Structure and parameters of vacuum arc cathode spots

The effect of such parameters of cathode materials as the heat of atom evaporation, atomic weight, work function of electrons on the structure of cathode spots of a vacuum arc, conditions of charged particle generation, and, most important, the F-emission of electrons, is considered. Determining the interrelation of cathode parameters and processes in a vacuum arc cathode spot helps develop conditions for a vacuum arc to effectively modify the surfaces of materials.     

Angular distribution of ion current emerging from an aperture anodein a vacuum arc

The ion current distribution emerging from a vacuum arc between a Cu cathode and a conical ring anode was measured by a set of five probes. It was found that: (1) the total ion current emerging through the anode was 8.5% of the arc current; (2) the measured ion distribution without a magnetic field was a slightly flattened cosinusoidal function; (3) with an axial magnetic field, the ion current distribution became peaked along the z axis; (4) the total ion current extracted through the anode aperture slightly increased with the magnetic field; and (5) an anode with a larger aperture exhibited less magnetic collimation     

Experimental analysis of the electrode products emitted byhigh-current vacuum arcs

The mass distribution of particles produced in the high-current vacuum arc was investigated. The experiments were concentrated on evaluating the spatial mass distribution emitted in the radial as well as in the azimuthal directions calculated from the mass deposition profile on collectors surrounding the arc discharge. The experiments were carried out in a vacuum chamber evacuated to an ambient pressure <10^-4 Pa. High-current arcs in the range from 2-7.5 kA were drawn between butt contacts of 31 and 55 mm in diameter (anode and cathode, respectively) both of a copper-chromium alloy (CuCr25). The surface mass deposited along multi-segment collectors was measured by a micro densitometer, and an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer. Two angular mass deposit distributions were determined: the azimuthal distribution on the plane parallel to the cathode surface, and the radial distribution as a function of the angle with respect to the cathode plane. Both distributions were anisotropic and the structure of the deposition layer depended on the angle of incidence of the particles onto the substrate, the density of the particle flux and other factors. The mass deposited on the collectors consisted mostly of chromium molecules (approx. 80% of Cr and 20% Cu) for CuCr25 or CuCr40 electrodes     

纵磁作用下真空电弧单阴极斑点等离子体射流三维混合模拟

真空电弧的特性直接受到从阴极斑点喷射出的等离子体射流的影响,对等离子体射流进行数值仿真有助于我们深入了解真空电弧的内部物理机制.然而,磁流体动力学和粒子云网格仿真方法受限于计算精度和计算效率的原因,无法有效地应用于真空电弧等离子体射流仿真模拟.本文开发了一套三维等离子体混合模拟算法,并在此基础上建立了真空电弧单阴极斑点射流仿真模型,模型中将离子作宏粒子考虑,而电子作无质量流体处理,仿真计算了自生电磁场与外施纵向磁场作用下等离子体的分布运动状态.仿真结果表明,单个阴极斑点情况下真空等离子体射流在离开阴极斑点后扩散至极板间,其整体几何形状为圆锥形,离子密度从阴极到阳极快速下降.外施纵向磁场会压缩等离子体,使得等离子体射流径向的扩散减少并且轴线上的离子密度升高.随着外施纵向磁场的增大,其对等离子体射流的压缩效应增强,表现为等离子体射流的扩散角度逐渐减小.此外,外施纵向磁场对等离子体射流的影响也受到电弧电流大小的影响,压缩效应随电弧电流的增加而逐渐减弱.