Expansion of the working range of forevacuum plasma electron sources toward higher pressures

It is shown that the pressure in forevacuum plasma electron sources is limited from above by a current component that arises in the accelerating gap from a high-voltage glow discharge and dominates in the electron beam. The working pressure range of such electron sources can be expanded toward higher pressures by limiting the current of the high-voltage glow discharge in the accelerating gap.     

Discharge and emission parameters of a plasma electron source based on a discharge in crossed E × H fields with various cathode materials

The possibility of using a plasma electron source (PES) with a discharge in crossed E × H field for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) is analyzed. The PES used as a neutralizer is mounted in the immediate vicinity of the EHIS ion generation and acceleration region at 90° to the source axis. The behavior of the discharge and emission parameters of the EHIS is determined for operation with a filament neutralizer and a plasma electron source. It is found that the maximal discharge current from the ion source attains a value of 3.8 A for operation with a PES and 4 A for operation with a filament compensator. It is established that the maximal discharge current for the ion source strongly depends on the working gas flow rate for low flow rates (up to 10 ml/min) in the EHIS; for higher flow rates, the maximum discharge current in the EHIS depends only on the emissivity of the PES. Analysis of the emission parameters of EHISs with filament and plasma neutralizers shows that the ion beam current and the ion current density distribution profile are independent of the type of the electron source and the ion current density can be as high as 0.2 mA/cm² at a distance of 25 cm from the EHIS anode. The balance of currents in the ion source-electron source system is considered on the basis of analysis of operation of EHISs with various sources of electrons. It is concluded that the neutralization current required for operation of an ion source in the discharge compensation mode must be equal to or larger than the discharge current of the ion source. The use of PES for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source proved to be effective in processes of ion-assisted deposition of thin films using reactive gases like O₂ or N₂. The application of the PES technique makes it possible to increase the lifetime of the ion-assisted deposition system by an order of magnitude (the lifetime with a Ti cathode is at least 60 h and is limited by the replacement life of the deposited cathode insertion).     

Neutralization of an ion beam from the end-Hall ion source by a plasma electron source based on a discharge in crossed E × H fields

The possibility of using a plasma electron source (PES) with a discharge in crossed E × H field for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) is analyzed. The PES used as a neutralizer is mounted in the immediate vicinity of the EHIS ion generation and acceleration region at 90° to the source axis. The behavior of the discharge and emission parameters of the EHIS is determined for operation with a filament neutralizer and a plasma electron source. It is found that the maximal discharge current from the ion source attains a value of 3.8 A for operation with a PES and 4 A for operation with a filament compensator. It is established that the maximal discharge current for the ion source strongly depends on the working gas flow rate for low flow rates (up to 10 ml/min) in the EHIS; for higher flow rates, the maximum discharge current in the EHIS depends only on the emissivity of the PES. Analysis of the emission parameters of EHISs with filament and plasma neutralizers shows that the ion beam current and the ion current density distribution profile are independent of the type of the electron source and the ion current density can be as high as 0.2 mA/cm² at a distance of 25 cm from the EHIS anode. The balance of currents in the ion source-electron source system is considered on the basis of analysis of operation of EHISs with various sources of electrons. It is concluded that the neutralization current required for operation of an ion source in the discharge compensation mode must be equal to or larger than the discharge current of the ion source. The use of PES for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source proved to be effective in processes of ion-assisted deposition of thin films using reactive gases like O₂ or N₂. The application of the PES technique makes it possible to increase the lifetime of the ion-assisted deposition system by an order of magnitude (the lifetime with a Ti cathode is at least 60 h and is limited by the replacement life of the deposited cathode insertion).     

Pulsed intense electron beams generated in transient hollow cathodedischarges: fundamentals and applications

For the commercial application of pulsed power, material processing with intense pulsed particle beams is a very interesting subject. Recently, high-voltage (1-70 kV), low-pressure (1-100 Pa) transient hollow-cathode discharges turned out to be sources for pulsed intense electron beam generation suitable for this application. The remarkable parameters of these electron beams-beam currents of 50-1000 A (10-30% of the maximum discharge current) with a high energy component (mean energy of about 0.25-0.75 of maximum applied voltage) of 20-70% of the maximum beam current, power density up to 10 W/cm², beam diameters of 0.1-3 mm, beam charge efficiency of 3-5%-captured the attention not only of the scientific community in the last decade. The electron beam is emitted during the early phases of the discharge, and only weak dependence of the high energetic peak of the beam current was found on the external capacity, which determine the development of the later high-current phases. However, the beam parameters depend on the breakdown voltage, gas pressure, and discharge geometry (including self-capacity). In this paper, the characteristics of the pulsed intense electron beams generated in two configurations-multigap pseudosparks and preionization-controlled open-ended hollow-cathode transient discharges (PCOHC)-are described. Such electron beams already were used successfully in a variety of pulsed power applications in material processing, deposition of superconducting (YBaCuO) and diamond-like thin films, microlithography, electron sources for accelerators, and intense point-like X-ray sources, and some preliminary experiments revealed new potential applications such as pumping of short-wavelength laser active media. These pulsed electron beams could be used further in any kind of pulsed power applications that require high-power density, small or high electron energy, and small-beam diameters     

Kinetic theory of monochromatic waves bunching in a low-voltage beam discharge in rare gases

The kinetic theory of phase focusing, that is bunching in a low-voltage beam discharge in rare gases (LVBD) during the propagation of longitudinal electrostatic oscillations at the Knudsen numbers of the order of unity have developed. The anomalous relaxation of the almost monoenergetic electron beam in momentum and energy is described for the case when this process cannot be explained by electron–atom collisions. The paper has shown the important role of electrons that have the beam energy and isotropic directional distribution, which is formed as a result of elastic collisions between the beam electrons and atoms. The dependence of the anomalous relaxation length on parameters of the LVBD in rare gases is studied.The developed theory makes it possible to quantitatively interpret experimental data on the LVBD under conditions when the electron mean free path is of the order of the interelectrode gap. According to these data, regardless of the density of the charged particles in the LVBD plasma in rare gases, five Langmuir plasma wavelengths fit along the length of the anomalous relaxation of the electron beam. The study of the electron beam dynamics laws in a plasma is important for the development of plasma-electrical devices, where the beam discharge is applied, namely: widely used all-movable stabilizers, sources of intense electromagnetic radiation, controlled elements of electronic circuits, plasma chemical reactors, etc.     

The role of multielectrode geometry in the generation of pulsedintense electron beams in preionization-controlled open-endedhollow-cathode transient discharges

High-voltage hollow-cathode glow discharges are used more and more to generate intense, pulsed electron beams. Such intense electron beams can be produced with high efficiency in preionization-controlled open-ended hollow-cathode transient discharges (PCOHC). This novel discharge is initiated by a low-current dc preionization discharge. The beam parameters are similar to those of the electron beam generated in pseudospark discharges. In this work, we present some measurements of the parameters for the electron beam generated by using a multielectrode (multigap) system instead of the single-gap device in this PCOHC configuration. This kind of multielectrode device was already used in pseudosparks to improve the intensity and collimation of the extracted beam. By using the multigap instead of the single gap, the total beam current (100-120 A) and the energetic part of the beam current (peak current 60-90 A and electron energies higher than approximately 3 keV) were substantially increased. However, the energy spectrum of the fast component has a large fraction of electrons at lower energies (4-10 keV for 26 kV breakdown voltage) when a multigap device is used instead of the single-gap configuration. A comparison between the single-gap and multigap PCOHC-produced pulsed intense electron beam is made too. The differences between the high-power pulsed electron beams produced in single-gap and multigap PCOHC configurations seem to be due to different developments of beam generation phases     

用于聚焦离子束系统的离子源

介绍了现阶段两种用于聚焦离子束系统的离子源——液态金属离子源和气体场发射离子源的基本原理, 并对比了它们的优缺点。由于目前这两种离子源都难以满足纳米加工领域不断提高的技术要求, 因此提出了一种用于聚焦离子束的新型离子源——电子束离子源, 并介绍了电子束离子源的基本原理, 给出了设计参数、 模拟结果（20 kV的Ar+离子束, 发射度约为5.8×10-5·mm·mrad, 束斑约为1 μm）和初步的实验结果。 There are two kinds of ion sources, Liquid Metal Ion Source and Gas Field Ion Source, used to provide ion beams for the Focus Ion Beam system. The working mechanism of the two kinds of sources is presented and their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. With the rapid development in the nano technology, the requirements are hardly met with these two kinds of ion sources. Therefore, a new kind of ion source, electron beam ion source, is developed for the Focus Ion Beam system. The basic principle of the electron beam ion source is introduced and the design parameters, the result of the simulation (20 kV Ar+, extracted emittance is 5.8×10-5π·mm·mrad, raduis of the ion beam about 1 μm.) and the primary experimental results are presented     

An Electron-Beam Triggered Spark Gap

The triggering of a high-voltage gas-insulated spark gap by an electron (e) beam has been investigated. Rise times of approximately 2.5 ns with subnanosecond jitter (~0.2 ns) have been obtained for 3-cm gaps charged at voltages as low as 50 percent of the self-breakdown voltage (varied up to 0.5 MV). The switch delay (including the e-beam diode) was 52 ns. The triggering e-beam pulse has a duration of 15 ns and a 0-50 percent rise time of 1.5 ns. The e-beam current is 0.5 kA, and the electron energy can be varied in the range from 80 to 145 keV. The working media were N2, mixtures of N2 and A, and N2 and SF6 at pressures of 1-3 atm. Voltage, current, and jitter measurements have been made for a wide range of gap conditions and e-beam parameters. Variations in the character of the discharge have been inferred using streak and open shutter photography. The photographs show that the discharge has a broad cross section and that its character varies for differing polarites and voltages. The effects of varying the e-beam width and the beam energy are discussed.     

射频容性耦合等离子体放电特性的光谱诊断

利用流体模型模拟和发射光谱实验诊断相结合的方法,研究了中等气压、中等功率下射频容性耦合等离子体的放电特性。理论上,采用基于流体模型的COMSOL软件仿真,建立一维等离子体放电模型,以Ar气为工作气体,研究了不同气压以及不同射频输入功率下等离子体电子温度和电子密度的分布规律。实验上,依据仿真模型设计制作了相同尺寸的密闭玻璃腔体和平板电极,采用13.56 MHz射频放电技术电离腔体内的工作气体Ar气,测量了不同气压、不同射频输入功率时放电等离子体的发射光谱。通过分析和选择适当的Ar Ⅰ和Ar Ⅱ的特征谱线,分别利用玻尔兹曼斜率法以及沙哈-玻尔兹曼方程计算了等离子体的电子温度与电子密度,并结合模拟仿真结果对光谱诊断结果进行了修正。结果表明：当气体压强为300~400 Pa、输入功率为600~800 W时,等离子体近似服从玻尔兹曼分布,此时利用光谱法得到的等离子体参数与仿真结果相符合。仿真模拟与光谱实验诊断相结合的方法可初步诊断出中等气压下等离子体的放电参数,增加了玻尔兹曼斜率法和沙哈-玻尔兹曼方程在等离子体放电中的使用范围,扩大了光谱法在低电子密度容性耦合等离子体参数诊断的应用场合,为中等气压容性耦合等离子体在工业与军事上的应用研究提供了重要物理状态的分析手段。     

Linear propagation of dust acoustic modes in the presence of an electron beam

The physical and optical properties of plasmas are depended on dynamics of species in the discharge volume. Then, the presence of an electron beam, as a separate component, in a dusty plasma can modify the plasma structures through altering the discharge parameters. In this report, the linear propagation of acoustic modes in a collisionless dusty plasma contains electrons, ions and charged dust grains is investigated in the presence of an electron beam. Our analysis indicates that the electron beam can modify the dispersion relations of dust acoustic modes which resulted different data transportation in dusty plasmas. The obtained results are also examined for negative and positive charged dust grains with different number densities. The charge of dust grains represents an important role in the dynamics of the low frequency waves. Additionally, our findings reveal that the propagation of acoustic waves in dusty plasmas can be controlled by adjusting the electron number density of the beam and the cathode potential. Lastly, we obtian the destabilizing effects, originated from dust charge fluctuation, by reconsidering the dispersion relations of both dust acoustic modes.     

Device for Producing and Investigating an Electron Beam Plasma Discharge

A survey on the properties and applications of the beam plasma discharge is given. A device for the experimental investigation of this discharge is described in which a magnetically guided (H = 0.05?0.1 T), ribbonlike electron beam (eU = 0.5–5 KeV, I = 10^?3?1 A) passes through a working chamber (p = 0.1–10 Pa; l = 10 cm, ø = 22 cm). The beam plasma discharge is sustained by collective beam plasma interaction. First results concerning the wall current and the ignition of the discharge as dependent on beam parameters are presented.     

High-Efficiency Electron Source with a Hollow Cathode in Technologies of Thin Film Deposition and Surface Treatment under Forevacuum Pressures

It is shown that low-energy beams with a high efficiency in a wide range of beam currents can be obtained in electron sources with a hollow cathode in the forevacuum pressure range. By varying the geometrical parameters of the electrode system and electromagnetic optics of the electron source, we succeeded in reaching the efficiency at a level of 0.9 for an accelerating potential of 1 kV and beam currents from 100 to 300 mA. The parameters affecting most strongly the efficiency and stability of operation of the electron source with a hollow cathode have been determined.     

Formation of narrow-focused electron beams generated by a source with a plasma cathode in the forevacuum pressure range

Results are presented from experimental studies of the formation of focused electron beams produced by extracting electrons from the plasma of a steady-state discharge with a hollow cathode in the forevacuum pressure range. Based on the measurements of the energy spectrum and diameter of the electron beam, as well as of the emission parameters of the plasma produced in the course of beam-gas interaction, a conclusion is drawn about the excitation of a beam-plasma discharge that deteriorates the beam focusing conditions. The threshold beam current density for the excitation of a beam-plasma discharge is found to increase with accelerating voltage and gas pressure.     

利用切伦科夫辐射进行电子束发散角及分布概况的测量技术研究

针对切伦科夫辐射特点,采用厚度尽量小的石英薄片作为转换靶,并将电子束以切伦科夫辐射角入射转换靶的形式构成一种电子束发散角分布的测量布局,并基于焦平面成像原理,研制了相应的电子束发散角光学测量系统。在强流脉冲直线感应加速器上完成了装置研制和测试工作,显示了电子束发散角分布测量系统可以获得电子束一定方向上的散角分布概况,测量结果具有一定的可信度,具有装置结构简单、数据处理难度低及速度快等特点。     

纳秒脉冲气体放电中逃逸电子束流的研究

经典的放电理论(Townsend和流注理论)不能很好地解释纳秒脉冲放电中的现象,近年来基于高能量电子逃逸击穿的纳秒脉冲气体放电理论研究受到广泛关注,有研究发现,高能逃逸电子是纳秒脉冲气体放电中的新特征参数,本文研制了用于测量纳秒脉冲放电中逃逸电子束流的收集器,并对脉宽3—5ns、上升沿1.2—1.6 n8激励的大气压纳秒脉冲气体放电中逃逸电子束流进行了测量,收集器采用类似法拉第杯的原理,利用金属极收集纳秒脉冲放电中的高能电子,并转换为电信号后由示波器采集,为了获得更好的逃逸电子束流波形,对逃逸电子束流收集器进行了优化设计,提高了收集器的阻抗匹配特性,基于上述的逃逸电子束流收集器,研究了纳秒脉冲气体放电中逃逸电子的特征,实验结果表明,所设计的收集器可以有效地测量到逃逸电子束流,改进设计后收集器测得的逃逸电子柬流的时间分辨率和幅值均得到提高,施加电压约80 kV时,大气压空气中的逃逸电子束流幅值可达160 mA,脉宽小于1ns,多个脉冲激励放电的结果表明逃逸电子束流收集器具有较好的可靠性,其瞬态响应与时间分辨率比较稳定。     

Electron sources with a plasma emitter based on discharge reflection with a hollow cathode

An examination is made of the physical processes in electron sources with plasma emitter based on discharge reflection with a hollow cathode. The mechanisms of ionization of the gas in the cavity are studied theoretically. Calculations are made of the plasma parameters in the intercathode discharge space, taking into account features of the particle motion in the crossed electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that the emission canal has an important effect on the source characteristics. An analysis is made of the features of primary shaping of the beam. Experience in the practical application of the electron sources is described.Tomsk Institute of Automatic Control Systems and Radioelectronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 5–23, May, 1992.     

High-Power Modulated Intense Relativistic Electron Sources with Applications to RF Generation and Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion

Recent advances in the physics and technology of the modulated intense relativistic electron beams (IREB's) are reviewed in this paper. Bunched dense electron beams can be used to construct high-power RF sources, which may critically affect future progress in fusion technology. In this paper a system is described in which electrical energy can be converted from a single pulse of relatively long duration into a series of subpulses of short duration (nanosecond and subnanosecond) and of high power (~1010 W). This electrical system consists of an IREB propagating through passive structures. The mutual interaction between the electron beam and one passive structure modifies the IREB so that power compression and beam modulation occur. When the modified IREB interacts with the next passive structure, the kinetic energy of the electrons is converted into electrical energy or RF energy. The beam current modulation depends on the injected IREB and the structure parameters. A 100-percent modulation of the current has been achieved. A single-beam source may be used for exciting radiation in a frequency range of 60 MHz to 10 GHz. In the frequency range of 60-750 MHz a modulated beam with power ~1010 W has already been achieved. IREB modulation at a frequency of ~3 GHz was performed and RF energy was extracted from the bunched beam with power output of 5 × 108 W.     

The Experimental Study of Novel Pseudospark Hollow Cathode Plasma Electron Gun

The high-power microwave devices with plasma-filled have unique properties. One of the major problems associated with plasma-filled microwave sources is that ions from the plasma drift toward the gun regions of the tube. This bombardment is particularly dangerous for the gun, where high-energy ion impacts can damage the cathode surface and degrade its electron emission capabilities. One of the techniques investigated to mitigate this issue is to replace the material cathode with plasma cathode. Now, we study the novel electron gun (E-gun) that can be suitable for high power microwave device applications, adopting two forms of discharge channel, 1: a single hole channel, the structure can produce a solid electron beam; 2: porous holes channel, the structure can generate multiple electronic injection which is similar to the annular electron beam.     

Beam analysis of scanning electron microscope according to the mirror effect phenomenon

In a scanning electron microscope the influence of electronic beam parameters on the electron-mirror images has been investigated. A simple theoretical model for scanning electron beam behavior in terms of beam and surface potentials is presented. The derived expression relates the scanning beam parameters and parameters of an irradiation region. Influence of a beam (the size and current), scanning potential, working distance, trapped charge and the irradiated area on electron mirror images are defined. Results show that the electron beam current has a considerable effect on the deduced mirror images in comparison with the other beam parameters. So it could be adapted for adjusting the phenomena of mirror effect. Moreover, the trapped charges have been calculated and the results examined in comparison with experimental data.     

神龙二号多脉冲电子束束参数的时间分辨测量技术

神龙二号是一台三脉冲强流脉冲电子束直线感应加速器,就其多脉冲的电子束束参数的测量而言,基本要求是单个脉冲可分辨,进一步的要求是脉冲内时间可分辨。基于光学渡越辐射原理及瞬态发射度测量系统原理,发展了一种束斑与发散角可以分开测量的光学布局结构,结合多台高速分幅相机,成功研制了一套完整的多脉冲电子束束参数的测量系统,其特点是灵活的组合测量方式,全面满足了神龙二号复杂艰难的调试及参数测量工作要求。测量系统最高时间分辨测量能力达到约2 ns的水平,单个脉冲可以获得至少8个时间分辨的束参数测量结果。