Measurements of the behaviour of neutral atom density in a diffusevacuum arc by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF)

The method of laser-induced fluorescence was used to study the behavior of the absolute neutral vapor density of a diffuse vacuum arc on FeCu contacts. The local and temporal resolutions were 1 mm³ and 10 μs, respectively. The arc current had a sinusoidal shape of 5.8-ms duration with peak values of 90 and 510 A. It was found that the maximum densities of the iron and copper atoms are 1.2×10 ¹⁷ m^-3 and 7.5×10¹⁷ m^-3, respectively. During the arc the density was correlated with the current. At current zero the measured densities decreased to 10 ¹⁶ m^-3. After current zero, an exponential density decay with a time constant of about 100 μs was observed, indicating the recovery of dielectric strength after current zero. Measurements of the neutron iron vapor density at different spatial positions in the electrode gap reveal a nonisotropic distribution. From the measurements of the population distribution of the iron ground-state multiplet a ⁵D, the excitation temperature was derived. This temperature was low compared with the cathode spot temperature 2500-4000 K and decreased from 1600 K at the current maximum to 1000 K at current zero. The results indicate that the generation of neutrals is caused by flying evaporating metal droplets rather than by molten surface areas     

Metal vapor densities and excitation temperatures in a pseudosparkswitch

The densities of iron, tungsten, copper, and nickel vapors produced by pseudosparks in a switch-like configuration are measured by laser-induced fluorescence. The cathode is made of a composite material essentially consisting of tungsten, but also containing the other metals mentioned. Total vapor densities are calculated from ground state densities using the excitation temperature of iron, which decays from 1900 K at 9 μs after initiation of the discharge to 600 K about 150 μs later. With maximum copper and tungsten vapor densities of 1.5×10¹⁸ m^-3 and 2×10¹⁷ m ^-3, respectively, the composition of metal vapor differs considerably from that of the cathode material. Iron and nickel vapors are present with densities in the range of 10¹⁶ m^-3. By comparison of vapor density ratios with vapor pressure ratios it is found that regions with temperatures in excess of 5000 K exist on the cathode. These are attributable to emission sites providing the electrons for current conduction. The vapor densities are roughly proportional to the current amplitude, while the gas pressure has practically no influence between 15 and 30 Pa     

Importance of high local cathode spot pressure on the attachment ofthermal arcs on cold cathodes

The importance of having high local cathode spot pressures for the self-sustaining operation of a thermal arc plasma on a cold cathode is theoretically investigated. Applying a cathode sheath model to a Cu cathode, it is shown that cathode spot plasma pressures ranging 7.4-9.2 atm and 34.2-50 atm for electron temperatures of ~1 eV are needed to account for current densities of 10⁹ and 10¹⁰ A·m^-2, respectively. The study of the different contributions from the ions, the emission electrons, and the back-diffusing plasma electrons to the total current and heat transfer to the cathode spot has allowed us to show the following. 1) Due to the high metallic plasma densities, a strong heating of the cathode occurs and an important surface electric field is established at the cathode surface causing strong thermo-field emission of electrons. 2) Due to the presence of a high density of ions in the cathode vicinity, an important fraction of the total current is carried by the ions and the electron emission is enhanced. 3) The total current is only slightly reduced by the presence of back-diffusing plasma electrons in the cathode sheath. For a current density j_tot=10⁹ A·m^-2 , the current to the cathode surface is mainly transported by the ions (76-91% of j_tot while for a current density j_tot = 10¹⁰ A·m^-2, the thermo-field electrons become the main current carriers (61-72% of j_tot). It is shown that the cathode spot plasma parameters are those of a high pressure metallic gas where deviations from the ideal gas law and important lowering of the ionization potentials are observed     

Excitation, ionization, and reaction mechanism of a reactivecathodic arc deposition of TiN

This paper discusses the excitation, ionization and reaction mechanism of reactive cathodic arc deposition of TiN. Such arc plasmas art operated in the arc discharge type PVD apparatus. The 50 A arc is operated in N₂ atmosphere of 0.13 to 26.6 Pa. The arc voltage, the electron energy distribution and the spectral intensities are measured as a function of pressure. The deposited films are analyzed by XPS. It follows from the result that (1) the N₂ molecules impact with the high energy electron to be excited or ionized; (2) Ti ⁺⁺ ions which are initially emitted from the cathode spot recombine with electrons and turn Ti⁺ ions and Ti atoms and the recombination ratio increases with increasing pressure; (3) the TiN compound is produced on the substrate surface in the ensuing process, the excited N₂ are adsorbed on the substrate surface, the N ₂ are dissociated to N atoms through collisions with Ti⁺ ions of 40-60 eV, the N atoms react with the Ti atoms to form TiN     

Measurement of cathode spot parameters with pulsed laserdiagnostics

The cathode spot formation in air within the first 170 ns was investigated by laser absorption photography and ps-pulse interferometry. The discharge was initiated between electrodes made from Ag or Pd with cathode-anode distance below 300 μm, the arc duration was some milliseconds, and the arc current 5-10 A. Picosecond holographic interferometry and momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density value on the order of 4×10²⁶ m^-3 has been found. In contrast to vacuum, the cathode spot plasmas broaden little with increasing distance from the cathode, thus narrow plasma channels are observed in the vicinity of the cathode surface having diameters <20 μm     

Microscopic high speed investigations of vacuum arc cathode spots

The main parameters and dimensions of cathode spots have been under discussion for years. To solve these current questions, a new system was specially designed. The image converting high speed framing camera (HSFC) combines a micrometer lateral resolution with a nanosecond time resolution and a very high optical sensitivity. This camera was used to study the microscopic behavior of vacuum arc cathode spots in a pulsed high current arc discharge on copper. The direct observation of these spots with high resolution revealed that one single cathode spot, as normally observed by optical means, consists of a number of simultaneously existing microscopic subspots, each with a diameter of about 10 μm and a mean distance of 30-50 μm between them. The mean existence time of these subspots on copper was found to be about 3 μs, where the position of a subspot remains unchanged (with an upper limit of about 5 μm) during its existence time. The lower limit of the current density in the cathode spots was estimated to be on the order of 10¹⁰-10¹¹ A/m². An upper limit of the crater surface temperature was estimated by a comparison between the brightnesses of a cathode spot and of a black body radiation lamp to about 3000 K     

流体-亚稳态原子传输混合模型模拟空心阴极放电特性

利用流体-亚稳态原子传输混合模型研究了氩气矩形空心阴极放电稳态时的参数. 数值计算得到了压强为10 Torr时的电势、电子、离子和亚稳态氩原子密度以及电子平均能量的分布. 结果表明电子和离子密度峰值为4.7×10¹² cm^-3, 亚稳态原子密度峰值为2.1×10¹³ cm^-3. 本文同时对流体-亚稳态原子传输混合模型和单一流体模型模拟得到的放电参数进行了比较. 结果表明, 分步电离是新电子产生的重要来源, 亚稳态原子对空心阴极放电特性有重要影响. 与单一流体模型相比, 混合模型计算得到的电子密度升高, 阴极鞘层宽度和电子平均能量降低. 关键词： 空心阴极放电 流体-亚稳态原子传输模型 电子密度 分步电离     

Time-resolved PLIF imaging of Cu in a laser-ablated copper plasmaplume

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) has been used to determine the relative number density of ground state copper atoms in laser-ablated plasma plumes. An ablation laser power flux of ~1.5 GW/cm ² is applied to a solid copper target in a background gas, producing a plasma plume suitable for studying homogeneous copper vapor condensation. Density is measured at postablation time delays ranging from 5 μs to 10 ms with 1-100 torr of either argon or helium as the background gas. Planar laser-induced fluorescence images are used to spatially resolve the relative density within the plume, The decrease in density is due to the homogeneous condensation of copper vapor to form particulate     

Influence of residual gases on cathode spot behavior

A residual gas in a vacuum arc chamber influences the behavior of the arc by two effects: it changes the state of the cathode surface, in particular the surface cleanness, and it influences the interelectrode plasma. Experiments are summarized dealing with the influence of the residual gas on the arc parameters in a pressure range of 10^-6-10^-5 Pa. With increasing pressure, general tendencies are a decrease in the fluctuations of the burning voltage, in the chopping current, and in the current density, and an increase in the arc lifetime, spot velocity, and spot diameter. The conditions at the cathode surface are decisive for the spot behavior and not the pressure. Surface contaminations render the arc more stable. The transition between the so-called cathode spot type 1 (on contaminated surfaces) and type 2 (on clean surfaces) was found to be smooth rather than abrupt     

Self-sustained self-sputtering: a possible mechanism for thesuperdense glow phase of a pseudospark

Self-sustained self-sputtering occurring during high current pseudospark operation (≈10⁴ A/cm², I>10³ A) is shown to be a possible mechanism for the superdense glow. The mean-free-path for ionization of cathode material sputtered in the low-current hollow-cathode phase can be shorter than the cathode-anode gap distance, and ionized atoms can return to the cathode surface, self-sputtering with a yield greater than one. The self-sputtered cathode atoms become ionized in the beam of electrons accelerated in the cathode sheath. A large fraction of the discharge current at the cathode surface can be carried uniformly over the surface by ions and a very high electron emission density is not required to maintain the high current     

Plasma parameters within the cathode spot of the vacuum arc

The composition of the vacuum arc plasma for five elements (Cd, Mg, Al, Ni, and Mo) is calculated by the Saha equation, which assumes local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions within the ionization region of the cathode spot(s). The lowering of the ionization potential due to the high density of charged particles is considered. By matching the computed and the measured plasma ionic composition, the electron density and the temperature are estimated. The experimental plasma compositions can be approximated only at a high electron density (10¹⁹-10 ²¹ cm^-3) and at electron temperatures in the range of a few electronvolts     

Pressure dependence of plasma parameters in medium-vacuum nitrogenarc discharge with the titanium cathode

The plasma properties of a medium-vacuum nitrogen arc discharge from a titanium cathode were studied. The arc chamber use was 400 mm in diameter and 600 mm in length. The cathode diameter and thickness were 64 and 25 mm, respectively. The experimental conditions are given as follows: pressure range=1×10^-3~2×10^-1 torr; N₂ gas flow rate=6 ml/min; arc current=50 A. Electric probe characteristics are measured as a function of pressure and distance from the cathode surface. The analytical results obtained show that the electron energy distribution takes 1-Mx at pressures above 1×10^-2 torr but 2-Mx at pressures under 4×10^-2 torr and that the electron density has a maximum value at a certain pressure. The Ti⁺, Ti⁺⁺, and N ⁺₂ ion spectral intensities are measured as a function of pressure and distance from the cathode surface. On comparison of these results and the electron density, the Ti⁺ spectral intensity turns out to be proportional to that of the electron density. This suggests that the major ion in the plasma volume is of the Ti⁺ species     

Plasma parameters within the cathode spot of laser-induced vacuumarcs: experimental and theoretical investigations

Cathode spot formation in laser-induced breakdown in vacuum was investigated by laser absorption photography with high spatial (0.5 μm) and temporal (100 ps) resolution. The discharge was initiated between Cu electrodes with a cathode-anode distance of 15-250 μm. The duration of pulsed discharges was 750 ns and dc discharges some milliseconds; the current was below 10 A. Picosecond momentary absorption photography yielded spatial-temporal density distributions in the ignition phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density >5×10²⁶ m^-3 in narrow plasma fragments with a diameter smaller than 5 μm was estimated. Mathematical modeling has satisfactorily explained the formation of the narrow plasma channel due to the bulk current self-focusing, as well as due to the generation of nonstationary emissive centers at the moving boundary of the expanding cathode spot plasma     

Investigation of the erosion drop fraction for liquid-metalexplosive-emission cathodes

The velocity spectrum of drops emitted by a liquid-metal explosive-emission cathode has been investigated. A relation between the sizes of the drops and their maximum velocities has been found for the velocity range 10³-8×10⁴ cm/s. The relation obtained supports the earlier established mechanism for the emission of drops under the action of high pressures developing in explosive emission centers. The possibilities of an additional acceleration of drops due to the explosion of necks formed on breaking the drops off the cathode surface and at the expense of the kinetic energy of the ions of the expanding cathode plasma have been discussed     

Measurement of the tungsten ion concentration after forcedextinction of a vacuum arc

The concentrations of singly ionized and neutral tungsten atoms were measured by laser-induced fluorescence after the forced extinction of vacuum arcs between tungsten-copper butt contacts, 28-mm in diam. and 10-mm apart. The 50-Hz current was forced to zero at its maximum of 200 A in 1.3 μs by application of a reverse voltage. Near current zero, the ion concentration of 4×10¹⁷ m^-3 is of the same order of magnitude as the atomic tungsten concentration, which is 6×10¹⁷ m^-3. While the concentration of the neutrals remains virtually constant during 20 μs after current zero, the ion concentration decays by three orders of magnitude in the same time. The decay-time constant varies from 1.9 μs close to the postarc cathode to 3.6 μs near the postarc anode. It is concluded that the dielectric recovery of vacuum gaps after diffuse arcs is mainly controlled by residual charge carriers     

Twenty-five years of progress in vacuum arc research andutilization

Progress in understanding and applying vacuum arcs is reviewed. Laser diagnostics have demonstrated the existence of micron-sized regions in the cathode spot plasma having electron densities exceeding 10²⁶ m^-3. The expanding plasma produces a highly ionized jet whose ions typically have charge states of 1-3 and energies of 50-150 eV. Gas dynamic and explosive emission models have been formulated to explain cathode spot operation. In cases where the arc is constricted at the anode, forming an anode spot, or the anode is thermally isolated, forming a hot anode vacuum arc, material emitted from the anode may dominate the interelectrode plasma. Evaporation from liquid droplets may also provide a substantial component of the plasma, and the presence of these droplets can have deleterious consequences in applications. The vacuum arc has been extensively utilized as a plasma source, particularly for the deposition of protective coatings and thin films, and as a switching medium in electrical distribution circuit breakers     

Mg微管靶喷口电子密度及X射线谱的时间分辨特性

1.06μm激光以3.5×10¹³W/cm²管壁辐照强度注入带侧向喷口Mg微管靶管内。利用X射线条纹相机测量Mg¹⁰⁺和Mg¹¹⁺离子沿侧喷方向发射X射线谱随时间变化过程,X射线时间分辨谱结果表明,三体再复合过程是实现Mg¹⁰⁺离子激发态1s4p和1s3p能级间粒子数反转的主要机制。用2660?紫外激光探针探测侧向喷口处等离子体电子密度,其密度值与用光谱分析获取的一致。 关键词：     

Current filamentation of strongly preionized high pressure glowdischarges in Ne/Xe/HCl mixtures

The formation of intense current filaments, destroying the homogeneity of the active laser volume, limits the energy extraction from XeCl-lasers. Using time-resolved spectrally integrated pictures, the morphology and temporal development of such filaments are studied. The time scale of this process is found to be controlled by HCl depletion. With strong preionization (n_e>10⁹/cm ³) and a fast (10 ns) rising discharge voltage applied at the end of the preionizing X-ray pulse, the filaments originate from hotspots formed in the cathode layer. The shot by shot statistics of spot formation on freshly prepared cathodes reveal that hotspots are not caused by streamers developing in the high field region of strongly reduced electron density built up by electron diffusion during formation of the cathode sheath. Unexpectedly, a large number of weak diffuse filaments are found in spotless discharges (current density 300 A/cm²; duration 200 ns), in spite of the strong preionization     

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     

Residence time of metal ions generated from microsecond vacuum arcs

Vacuum gaps of 1 mm with lead or copper cathode are fired by a 13 μs duration sinusoidal arc or a 10 μs duration exponentially-decaying arc, and time-of-flight (TOF) ion measurements are made at variable times after the arc ignition. At the lead cathode, Pb⁺ and Pb⁺⁺ ions are generated and the upper limit on the times for Pb⁺ ion detection are 48 μs and 46 μs from the arc ignition for the sinusoidal and exponential arcs, respectively. At the copper cathode, Cu⁺, Cu⁺⁺, and Cu⁺⁺⁺ ions are generated and detected within 15 μs and 13 μs from the arc ignition for the sinusoidal and exponential arcs, respectively. The residence time of the Pb⁺ ions in the ion acceleration region is approximately 35 μs, regardless of the waveform of the arc current. The residence time of the copper ions, described by the time constant of the time-of-flight ion current delay characteristics, is 3 μs