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     

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     

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     

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     

Some interruption criteria for short high-frequency vacuum arcs

If the contacts of a vacuum interrupter open shortly before a current zero, the transient recovery voltage (TRV) can cause a reignition and reestablish the arc. When the current in a diffuse vacuum arc passes through zero, there is a distinct pause before the TRV builds up (approximately 40 ns for copper). During this pause the gap carries conduction current only with an ion component which depends on dI /dt, varying between 3 A for dI/dt=60 A/μs and 60 A for dI/dt=1235 A/μs. The ion current subsequently decays in tens or hundreds of nanoseconds. It can be distinguished from the displacement current at this time by varying dV/dt, keeping the other parameters constant. Among the interruption criteria for short high-frequency vacuum arcs, dI /dt prior to current zero and initial dV/dt are the most important. High values of dI/dt are more likely to precipitate reignitions, but breakdowns can occur after lower dI/dt's if the gap has been subjected to a high current for a relatively long time (>100 μs)     

Recovery properties of vacuum spark gaps

The authors investigated the recovery properties of a 90-kV, 15-kA multiple site, triggered vacuum spark gap. Triggering was accomplished with a multisite surface flashover plasma source with approximately 60 sites distributed over a 10 cm² area. Gap dimensions were 1-cm spacing by 7.5-cm diameter. Recovery measurements were performed utilizing an inductively recharged double pulse circuit. Under a sinusoidal recharge, the time to a 40-kV recovery occurred in 330 μs for an average current fall rate approaching 10¹⁰ A/s. These vacuum spark gap switches may provide an alternative method of high-average-power switching     

1000 V p-GaN混合阳极AlGaN/GaN二极管

GaN材料具有优异的电学特性,如大的禁带宽度(3.4 eV)、高击穿场强(3.3 MV/cm)和高电子迁移率(600 cm~2/(V·s)). AlGaN/GaN异质结由于压电极化和自发极化效应,产生高密度(1×10~(13)cm~(-2))和高迁移率(2000 cm~2/(V·s))的二维电子气(2DEG),在未来的功率系统中, AlGaN/GaN二极管具有极大的应用前景.二极管的开启电压和击穿电压是影响其损耗和功率处理能力的关键参数,本文提出了一种新型的具有高阻盖帽层(high-resistance-cap-layer, HRCL)的p-GaN混合阳极AlGaN/GaN二极管来优化其开启电压和击穿特性.在p-GaN/AlGaN/GaN材料结构基础上,通过自对准的氢等离子体处理技术,在沟道区域形成高阻盖帽层改善电场分布,提高击穿电压,同时在阳极区域保留p-GaN结构,用于耗尽下方的二维电子气,调控开启电压.制备的p-GaN混合阳极(p-GaN HRCL)二极管在阴阳极间距Lac为10μm时,击穿电压大于1 kV,开启电压+1.2 V.实验结果表明, p-GaN混合阳极和高阻GaN盖帽层的引入,有效改善AlGaN/GaN肖特基势垒二极管电学性能.     

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     

Residence time and charge state of silver and zinc ions generatedfrom microsecond vacuum arcs

One mm vacuum gaps with silver or zinc needle-cathode were fired by a 13 μs duration sinusoidal arc or a 9 μs duration exponentially decaying arc. Time-of-flight (TOF) ion measurements were made at variable ion extraction times after the arc ignition to measure the charge state and residence time of the ions. Ag⁺, Ag⁺⁺ and Ag⁺⁺⁺ ions were generated from silver cathode and Zn⁺ and Zn⁺⁺ were generated from zinc cathode. Residual gas atom ions were generated together with the metal ions. Residence times of silver and zinc ions at the acceleration space, which was 15-25 mm apart from the needle cathode, were 5 μs and 17 μs, respectively, regardless the waveform of the arc current. Charge state fractions of silver and zinc ions were determined from the TOF ion currents and were compared with the results by other researchers     

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     

Influence of interrupted current amplitude on the post-arc currentand gap recovery after current zero-experiment and simulation

For commercial vacuum circuit interrupter valves with radial field contact, the post-arc current (PAC) waveform was measured after short circuit current interruption applying a transient recovery voltage (TRV) of about 15 kV/s (RRRV). Keeping the current decline di/dt at current zero constant, the power frequency (PF) current amplitude Iˆ_PF was varied from 0.5 up to two times of the rated short circuit current. Significant influence of Iˆ_PF on the gaps memory is shown in particular effecting the post-arc current duration which varies in a range between 2 and 8 μs. Based on the existing physical models an interpretation of the results is given. It is shown that the memory effect influences the gap recovery time. The experimental results were further used to determine the parameters of the sheath growth model described by Andrews and Varey (1971). The initial ion density is fitted according to the current ramp di/dt before current zero (CZ) and according to the measured Q_PF=∫i _PF×dt during the arcing phase. The results of two different test procedures were applied in order to separate the effect of current ramp di/dt and Q_PF=∫i_PF×dt. The influence of both parameters and of the rate of rise of the recovery voltage du/dt (RRRV) on the sheath edge velocity could be demonstrated by simulation     

Photo-ionized lithium source for plasma accelerator applications

A photo-ionized lithium source is developed for plasma acceleration applications. A homogeneous column of lithium neutral vapor with a density of 2×10^15-3 is confined by helium gas in a heat-pipe oven. A UV laser pulse ionizes the vapor. In this device, the length of the neutral vapor and plasma column is 25 cm. The plasma density was measured by laser interferometry in the visible on the lithium neutrals and by CO₂ laser interferometry on the plasma electrons. The maximum measured plasma density was 2.9×10 ¹⁴ cm^-3, limited by the available UV fluence (≈83 mJ/cm²), corresponding to a 15% ionization fraction. After ionization, the plasma density decreases by a factor of two in about 12 μs. These results show that such a plasma source is scaleable to lengths of the order of 1 m and should satisfy all the requirements for demonstrating the acceleration of electrons by 1 GeV in a 1-GeV/m amplitude plasma wake     

Dielectric Recovery of an Axially Blown SF6-Arc after Current Zero: Part I?experimental Investigations

The results are presented of a model experiment to investigate the dielectric recovery of an axially blown sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) arc after current zero. With the aid of Schlieren pictures and interferometry, the temperature decay after current zero is observed up to the point of complete recovery of the gap. The dielectric recovery is directly measured by applying voltage pulses across the gap which causes breakdown at different times after current zero. Residual charges, which play a role in the early recovery phases, are detected using a specialiy developed technique. Variations of the shape of the voltage pulses and the geometry cause characteristic changes of the recovery, which support the interpretation of the experimental data.     

Photoemission from diamond and fullerene films for advancedaccelerator applications

The photoemission properties of thin diamond and fullerene films were investigated for advanced accelerator applications, using subpicosecond laser pulses at three different wavelengths (650, 325, and 217 nm). The quantum efficiency (QE) obtained at 217 nm with a boron-doped, p-type, (111) polycrystalline diamond film (2.6·10 ^-4) was only five times smaller than the QE obtained with a mirror polished copper sample (1.3·10^-3) but more than nine times larger than the QE obtained with a pure diamond film or with natural diamond monocrystals. Similar results were obtained for the two-photon electron yields at 325 mm. The electron yields obtained with pure fullerene films were small and comparable to the ones observed with the pure diamond samples. With 650 mn pulses, the damage threshold of the (110) Type IIa natural diamond monocrystal (9.38·10⁴ μJ cm^-2), defined here as the fluence leading to an onset of ion emission, was 25 times larger than the damage threshold for a copper sample (3.75·10³ μJ cm^-2). The damage threshold of the boron-doped sample at the same wavelength was two times larger than that of copper. Damage thresholds with 325 nm pulses were lower, and with 217 mn pulses ion emission was observed at all fluences probably attributed to ablation of surface hydrocarbon contaminants. Results show that high-quality high-boron concentration diamond films could be a good candidate for high-RF electron guns     

高跨导氢终端多晶金刚石长沟道场效应晶体管特性研究

基于多晶金刚石制作了栅长为4 pm的铝栅氢终端金刚石场效应晶体管.器件的饱和漏源电流为160 mA/mm,导通电阻低达37.85Ω·mm,最大跨导达到32 mS/mm,且跨导高于最大值的90%的栅压(V_(GS))范围达到3 V(-2 V≤V_(GS)≤-5 V).通过传输线电阻分析以及器件的导通电阻和电容-电压特性分析,发现氢终端多晶金刚石栅下沟道中的空穴面浓度达到了1.56×10~(13)cm~(-2),有效迁移率在前述高跨导栅压范围保持在约170 cm~2/(V·s).分析认为,较低的栅源和栅漏串联电阻、沟道中高密度的载流子和在大范围栅压内的高水平迁移率是引起高而宽阔的跨导峰和低导通电阻的原因.     

准一维Cr基超导体RbCr3As3的超导能隙

RbCr₃As₃是具有[（Cr₃As₃）^-]_∞线性链的准一维超导体,超导转变温度约为6.6 K.对RbCr₃As₃单晶进行了电输运和极低温热输运性质的研究.低温下,拟合了RbCr₃As₃正常态电阻率随温度的变化,发现其满足费米液体行为.通过拟合超导转变温度随磁场的关系,得到RbCr₃As₃单晶的上临界场约为25.6 T.对RbCr₃As₃进行了零场下的极低温热导率测量,得到其剩余线性项为7.5 μW·K^-2·cm^-1,占正常态热导率值的24%.测量不同磁场下RbCr₃As₃的热导率,发现与单带s波超导体相比较,RbCr₃As₃剩余线性项随磁场增加相对较快.这些结果表明RbCr₃As₃单晶很可能是有节点的非常规超导体.     

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     

Measurement of the temperature of evaporating macroparticles aftercurrent zero of vacuum arcs

The concentration of copper and chromium vapor after current zero of vacuum arcs between chromium-copper contacts was measured simultaneously by the atomic-absorption technique. Temperatures between 1900 K and 2200 K were derived from the absorption data, assuming that the ratio of concentrations of copper and chromium vapor is equal to the ratio of vapor pressures at a given temperature. The temperatures obtained in this way were assigned to droplets of molten contact material evaporating in flight     

具有纵向辅助耗尽衬底层的新型横向双扩散金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管

为了优化横向双扩散金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管(lateral double-diffused MOSFET,LDMOS)的击穿特性及器件性能,在传统LDMOS结构的基础上,提出了一种具有纵向辅助耗尽衬底层(assisted depletesubstrate layer,ADSL)的新型LDMOS.新加入的ADSL层使得漏端下方的纵向耗尽区大幅向衬底扩展,从而利用电场调制效应在ADSL层底部引入新的电场峰,使纵向电场得到优化,同时横向表面电场也因为电场调制效应而得到了优化.通过ISE仿真表明,当传统LDMOS与ADSL LDMOS的漂移区长度都是70μm时,击穿电压由462 V增大到897 V,提高了94%左右,并且优值也从0.55 MW/cm~2提升到1.24 MW/cm~2,提升了125%.因此,新结构ADSL LDMOS的器件性能较传统LDMOS有了极大的提升.进一步对ADSL层进行分区掺杂优化,在新结构的基础上,击穿电压在双分区时上升到938 V,三分区时为947 V.