Characteristics of a reflex discharge in hydrogen in a magnetic field

The properties of an extensive reflex discharge of large power with one heated and one cold cathode in a magnetic field of 10 to 1500 Gauss were measured. At a neutral hydrogen pressure of 10^–4 to 10^–3 torr a plasma column was obtained which was 100 cm long, 10 cm in diameter and had a density greater than 10^–11 cm^–3. The dependence of the radial profile of the potential in the plasma was measured by a heated probe, and the temperature and electron density by Langmuir probes calibrated by a microwave interferometer.The dependence of the origin of low-frequency rotational instability on the parameters of the discharge was studied and the measured critical magnetic field was compared with theory. Apart from this low-frequency instability, intensive oscillations were also found in the discharge current in a frequency band up to 30 MHz, and the dependence of their spectrum on the magnetic field was measured.     

General intense electron beams by means of a contracted arc discharge

Two types of contracted arc discharge are investigated with a view to generating intense electron beams over a wide pressure range (1–10^–3 Pa). For an arc discharge with a hollow cathode and anode, an electron beam corresponding to a current of up to 300 A and a pulse length of 25 µsec is obtained at a pressure of 1–10^–1 Pa in the accelerating gap with an accelerating voltage of up to 15 kV. At pressures of 10^–2–10^–3 Pa, emitting plasma is created by a low-pressure arc discharge on the basis of a Penning cell. Three discharge systems operating in parallel are used to increase the working life of the cathode and improve the current density distribution of the beam. An electron beam of diameter 200 mm with a current of up to 125 A and a pulse length of 50 µsec is obtained.Institute of High-Power Electronics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshkikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 76–82, March, 1994.     

Peculiarities of grid control over the current in a discharge with a cathode spot on the cesium liquid-metal cathode

We report on the results of successful implementation of full grid control in a cesium discharge with a cathode spot. The discharge is quenched by a negative grid pulse for a discharge current density up to 75 A/cm² in the grid plane for voltage switching up to 100 V in the pressure range 0.5–1.5 Pa for a voltage drop of 5–6 V in the discharge. It is shown that quenching is the break-off type. The discovered effect of “evacuation” of the heavy component (ions) from the grid-anode gap to the cathode region leads to an unusually long (hundreds of microseconds) time of stabilization of the steady state in the discharge under the experimental conditions.     

A non-self-consistent electron-beam controlled discharge in methane

The use of methane in a non-self-consistent discharge controlled by an electron beam permits obtaining high discharge currents for relatively low electric fields. The current gain is 10³for 500 V/cm fields and a 14 mA/cm² injection current density. For fields greater than 7–8 kV/cm and atmospheric pressure, punch-through of the gas discharge gap occurs. It is shown that a breakpoint in the CVC in the area of low currents is associated with the appearance of spots on the cathode. A domain Instability, related to the nonmonotonic dependence of the drift velocity on the reduced field in methane, is detected.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 65–68, April, 1982.     

The pumping discharge for XeCl lasers

This paper presents the results of experimental studies on the homogeneity of a discharge in aNe−Xe−HCl gas mixture at a pressure of 2 atm in relation to the discharge current density, the cathode material (Al, Cu, Ti), and the mode of preconditioning of the cathode. With freshCu electrodes, a discharge of current density j∼50 A/cm² with no cathode spot has been generated. Upon prolonged preconditioning ofAl andCu electrodes, a homogeneous discharge with j>100 A/cm² and a high density of cathode spots has been realized. The results of numerical calculations based on a plasma model which allows for more than 300 plasma chemical reactions agree well with experiment. The plasma particle densities and the rates of death and birth of charged species are presented as functions of time. The physical processes occurring in the discharge plasma are analyzed. Institute of High-Current Electronics, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 76–86, April, 2000.     

Possible High Power Laser Construction Using a New Discharge Type-Heated Cathode Discharge in the Copper Vapours Continuously Evaporated from the Anode

The possibility to build a high power copper laser using a new type of discharge – heated cathode discharge in the copper vapours continuously evaporated from a melted spot on the anode surface is analysed. From the experimental data on this new discharge type, the equivalent pressure of the copper atoms in the discharge space has been obtained. This pressure can be as high as 1 torr. The density of the power in the discharge volume is evaluated to be more than 1 kW/cm³.     

Production of a large-volume plasma by a hot-cathode arc

Probe measurements reveal that the plasma produced by a hot-cathode arc contains two groups of electrons, with temperatures 4 and 10 eV, with a density of 10¹⁰–10¹¹ cm^–3. These electrons are distributed uniformly over a volume of 0.2 m³. The discharge voltage is found as a function of the gas pressure and the heater current. Low-temperature regimes of the deposition of TiN coatings on metals and insulators after a plasma processing of the articles are described. The design of the discharge system is discussed.Institute of High-Current Electronics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 115–120, March, 1994.     

Investigations of the Cathode Spot Dynamics in a Vacuum Arc Coating Process

Influence of cathode materials (Ti, Al, Cu, TiN), ambient gases (Ar, N₂, p = 0.1-1 Pa) and the arc current itself on the motion and the velocity of cathode spots in an arc coating process have been investigated with the help of a new high speed framing camera. It was found, that the cathode material causes different spot currents but in general the spot arrangement and the motion on the surface are similar. Surface contaminations due to ambient gases affect this dynamics in several ways. Insulating layers like AIN can drastically increase the instantaneous spot velocity, for example from <5 m/s on Al up to 170 m/s on AIN contaminated areas. TiN layers with a high conductivity increase the spot mobility at first. But at nearly completely contaminated surfaces (simulated by a TiN cathode), the mobility is strongly decreased. The values change from an average velocity of 6.3 m/s with a diffusion constant of 54 cm²/s (Ti, 0.01 Pa) to 2 m/s and 6.4 cm²/s at TiN. The course of the instantaneous spot velocity during the spot splitting phase was investigated too. The instantaneous spot velocity of each of the two new spots originated from the starting spot is relatively high (30–40 m/s) within the first 50 μs. The cathode material and the ambient gases are of slight influence in this phase. The movement is directed. In the further development the instantaneous spot velocity is decreasing to values under 5–10 m/s. The motion is now more and more random. Additionally it could be proved, that the lower stability limit for a stable discharge is strongly connected with the spot current, which depends on discharge conditions.     

Gas-filled electron diode based on a glow discharge

Stable ignition and sustention of a pulsed discharge with a current of up to 180 A and duration of 12 μs at a pressure of 10⁻¹–10⁻² Pa are achieved in a glow-discharge plasma cathode with the help of an auxiliary initiating discharge. An electron emission current density of up to 100 A/cm² and accelerating voltageof 15 kV are obtained in a gas-filled diode based on this type of a plasma cathode. An electron beam witha neutralized space charge can be transported almost without losses in a weak axial magnetic field alonga plasma channel formed due to the gas ionization by the accelerated electrons over a distance of up to 30 cm.     

Optimization of the UV CuII laser

The cw output power of the uv CuII laser has been optimized with respect to the hollow cathode geometry, the discharge current, the fill gas pressure and the resonator mirror parameters. A maximum laser output power of 900 mW for multiline operation at 248.6, 259.1, 260.0, and 270.3 nm was achieved with 100 A discharge current, 260 V voltage and 16 mbar fillgas pressure, when a hollow cathode of 1.2 m length and 2×6 mm² cross section was employed. The single-pass pain gl has been estimated to 7%. A hollow cathode cross section of 1.5×4.5 mm² is suggested as an optimum geometry. In addition, some investigations on the mechanism of the laser power decay in Ne–Cu-discharges are presented.     

Light Source with a Thermoionic Cathode

A light source with a thermoionic cathode has been investigated in helium at atmospheric pressure; the spectral radiance of the light source in the range 200–800 nm and the cathode temperature (3510 K) have been determined. Its employment as a light source in absorption spectroscopy for determination of the concentration of triplet and singlet metastable helium atoms in an atmospheric-pressure glow discharge has been demonstrated. The total concentration of metastable atoms was 3.5·10¹³ cm^–3.     

Photographic appearance of high-current vacuum arcs prior to and during anode spot formation

This article presents the results of research on the photographic appearance of a highcurrent vacuum arc between butt type copper electrodes a of 30–80 mm diameter and a fixed gap of 10 mm. Current pulses of up to 30 kA peak amplitude at an initial value of (di/dt)₀ from 1–10kA/ms and a duration of approximately 14 ms were applied. Arcs were photographed with a high-speed framing camera, mostly at 10⁴ frames/s. A detailed study of discharge modes in phase transition from a high-current diffuse arc to a constricted arc with an anode spot was conducted. Most of the measurements were obtained at a peak current slightly in excess of 10 kA for electrodes of 55 mm diameter. It was found that at peak current exceeding moderately the threshold value of the onset of anode spot formation, the arc is characterized by the following main features: the formation of an anode spot and an anode plasma jet occurs concurrently with a local concentration of cathode spots; the anode spot is, most often, formed on the electrode edge; the coexistence of very varied structures of spots on the cathode; the lack of considerable constriction of the cathode discharge; the pseudo-periodic shrinking and expansion of the area occupied by cathode spots; the existence of a relatively dark space separates the anode plasma jet from the plasma sheath near the cathode surface; the plasma space distribution in the interelectrode gap is non-uniform and non-stationary.This work was supported by State Committee for Scientific Research within the research project No. 3 P40101507.     

Influence of adsorbed gas on cathodes on penning discharge pulse formation

It is clarified that at a 10^–3–10^–2 mm Hg pressure in a Penning discharge the formation of the current peak manifested during an overvoltage on the discharge gap is related to the pressure rise in the region near the cathode during rupture of the gas monolayer on the cathode surface. The influence of the discharge parameters on the current peak amplitude, the buildup time of the quasistatic current, and its magnitude is investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 97–101, July, 1976.     

Wide gas-ion beam source based on an arc discharge in a nonuniform magnetic field

The construction of an ion source based on a low-pressure arc with a screened cathode spot is described. The source is ignited by an auxiliary glow discharge in a magnetron electrode system. Ions are extracted from the plasma of the anode part of the arc, generated in a reflective electrode system. The effect of the magnetic induction and the emitter electrode potential on the parameters of the anode plasma was investigated, and the conditions required for generation of a dense uniform plasma, ion emission from which gives beams of ions of nitrogen, argon, oxygen, other gases with cross section 100 cm², current density 10 mA/cm² and nonuniformity of the plasma distribution in the beam cross section 10%, were determined. The formation of wide and converging beams with ion energies up to 50 keV by multiple-aperture ion-optic systems were examined. The source operates in the periodic-pulse mode. The repetition frequency of 1-msec pulses can be regulated from 0 to 50 sec^–1 giving an average beam current of up to 50 mA. It is intended for use in technologies for modification of the surface properties of materials and deposition of thin films. A cold cathode makes possible prolonged operation of the source with chemically active gases.Institute of Electrophysics, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshykh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 66–75, March, 1994.     

Improvement of the efficiency of a glow discharge-based ion emitter with oscillating electrons

Ion emission from the plasma of a low-pressure (≈5×10⁻² Pa) glow discharge with electrons oscillating in a weak (≈1 mT) magnetic field is studied in relation to the cold hollow cathode geometry. A hollow conic cathode used in the electrode system of a cylindrical inverted magnetron not only improves the extraction of plasma ions to ≈20% of the discharge current but also provides the near-uniform spatial distribution of the ion emission current density. The reason is the specific oscillations of electrons accelerated in the cathode sheath. They drift in the azimuth direction along a closed orbit and simultaneously move along the magnetic field toward the emitting surface of the plasma. A plasma emitter with a current density of ≈1 mA/cm² over an area of ≈100 cm² designed for an ion source with an operating voltage of several tens of kilovolts is described.     

High-power discharge with a plasma cathode in dense gases

An attempt is made to create an electric-discharge source for pumping argon, krypton, and xenon dimer lasers. The device is based on a method proposed previously by the authors, wherein confinement of the discharge is achieved by removing the cathode spot from the main discharge region and closing the discharge to the spot along a narrow extended auxiliary plasma channel. The conditions for the formation of such a discharge are investigated. The high stability of the sparkless stage of the discharge permits the first-ever attainment of energy depositions at the level of 100 J/cm² at pressures ∼10 atm, a level several orders of magnitude higher than is attainable by conventional methods. A discharge cell and power supply system are designed for a multisectional discharge with an active length of 200 mm, and the reliability of the entire apparatus is demonstrated in long-term use. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 10–14 (November 1997)     

On the initiation of a spark discharge upon the breakdown of nitrogen and air in a nonuniform electric field

Switchover from a runaway-electromnduced volume discharge to a spark is studied when a nanosecond discharge is initiated in high-pressure nitrogen an d air at a voltage of 50–250 kV. In the case of a cathode with a small radius of curvature and a flat anode and in the presence of cathode spots, the leader of the spark channel may propagate from the flat cathode. When the rate of rise of the voltage across centimeterwide gaps is high (dU/dt ∼ 10¹⁵ V/s or higher), cathode spots in the case of a corona discharge emerge within 200 ps.     

Population densities and optical gain of VUV transitions of Cu II in Cu−He hollow cathode discharges

Population densities of excited Cu II-levels between 16 and 25 eV in Cu–He hollow cathode discharges were determined by emission spectroscopy. Population inversion was detected for several 6s-4p transitions. Investigation of the enhancement of Cu II vuv lines in He compared to Ne discharges showed that the excitation of the 6s levels by charge transfer is up to 100 times higher in He than in pure Ne discharges. Using the population densities and known transition probabilities, a single pass gain of 55% m^–1 at 780.8 nm and 1.2% m^–1 at 154.17 nm at a current density of 0.4 A cm^–2 was calculated.This paper is dedicated to Prof. Dr. H. Gobrecht on the occasion of his 75th birthday     

A Pulsed-Periodic, Low-Pressure Volume Discharge in Chlorine and in a Xenon/Chlorine Mixture

The electrical and optical characteristics of a self-initiated, low-pressure, pulsed-periodic discharge in chlorine and in a xenon/chlorine mixture are investigated. A volume discharge not bounded by dielectric walls was triggered in a spherical anode–plane cathode system of electrodes on supply of a constant positive-polarity voltage to the anode. The discharge existed in the form of a unit domain. The spatial, spectral (in the range 150–350 nm), and time characteristics (voltage, current, and photocurrent of total radiation of plasma in the spectral range 200–700 nm) of the volume discharge are investigated. Optimization of the pressure and of the structure of the working medium is carried out to obtain the maximum brightness of UV–VUV radiation of the bands of the Cl₂(D–A), Cl₂ ^**, and XeCl(D, B–X) molecules. The results obtained are of interest for being used in a pulsed-periodic, excimer-halogen low-pressure lamp.     

Production of copper vapor in a pulsed hollow cathode discharge

Spectral emission from a pulsed Cu hollow cathode was investigated in relation to discharge current to gain information on the density of the sputtered Cu vapor and on the persistence time of the metastable and ground-state atoms. The cathode was excited with 250 μsec discharge pulses at current densities up to 1 A/cm², using He, Ne and Ar as buffer gases. The intensities of the emitted Cu I lines were found to depend strongly on the simmer current. In atmospheres of Ne or Ar, the intensities of the resonance lines exhibited characteristic maxima during the initial 20 μsec of the discharge pulses. The density of the sputtered Cu atoms was determined by absorption measurements using a second Cu hollow cathode as alight source.