Efficiency of a planar diode with an explosive emission cathode under the conditions of delayed plasma formation

The energy and current balances in the diode unit of a high-current pulsed electron accelerator (350–500 keV, 60 ns, 250 J per pulse) are compared for an explosive emission cathode (made of graphite, copper, or carbon felt) and a multipoint (graphite or copper) cathode. The planar diode with the continuous cathode is shown to be more efficient in terms of conversion of the applied energy to electron energy (more than 90%) despite a delay in the plasma surface formation. With the impedance of the planar diode matched to the output resistance of the nanosecond generator, the efficiency of the diode does not depend on the time of plasma formation on the cathode. In the case of the graphite cathode, the plasma formation delay reduces the fraction of slow electrons in the forming electron beam and reduces electron losses in anode foil when the beam is extracted from the vacuum space of the diode chamber into the reactor.