Plasma localization in an extended hollow cathode of the plasma source of a ribbon electron beam

The plasma density distributions in the slit aperture of the extended rectangular hollow cathode of the source of a ribbon electron beam are investigated experimentally. It is found that a local maximum whose parameters are determined by the discharge current appears in the density distribution when the slot width is less than a certain threshold value. This maximum results in an inhomogeneous current density distribution in the beam. It is shown that the appearance of the local maximum in the plasma density is related to the overlapping of the ion sheaths in the slit aperture of the hollow cathode.     

Operational characteristics of a plasma cathode with a grid stabilization in a two-stage ion source

The discharge characteristics and the parameters of the cathode plasma in a two-stage ion source with a grid plasma cathode and a magnetic trap in the anode region are investigated. It is shown that an increase in the gas pressure and the accompanying increase in the reverse ion current in the bipolar diode between the cathode and anode plasmas lead to an increase in the cathode plasma potential and a transition of the cathode into the regime of electron emission from the open plasma boundary. The dependence of the ion current extracted from the anode plasma on the area of the exit aperture of the hollow cathode and the mesh size of the grid plasma cathode is explained. The conditions at which the ion emission current from the anode plasma is maximum are determined. The potential difference at the bipolar diode is measured by using the probe method. It is shown that, when the gas pressures reaches a critical value determined by the mesh size of the grid plasma cathode, the discharge passes into a contracted operating mode, in which the ion current extracted from the anode plasma decreases severalfold.     

Current-voltage characteristics of a reflex discharge with a hollow cathode and self-heating electrode

Results are presented from experimental studies of the current-voltage characteristics of a reflex discharge with a self-heating electrode used in a source of atomic hydrogen. The processes occurring in a discharge cell and governing the main features of the characteristics obtained are investigated theoretically. An explanation of the general features of the discharge is proposed. It is shown that an abrupt decrease in the discharge voltage with increasing hydrogen flow rate is associated with penetration of the plasma into the hollow cathode and the ignition of a hollow cathode discharge. It is demonstrated that, as the discharge current increases, the glow discharge gradually transforms into an arc discharge with a heated cathode.     

Generation of a pulsed high-current low-energy beam in a plasma electron source with a self-heated cathode

The transition of a low-current discharge with a self-heated hollow cathode to a high-current discharge is studied, and stability conditions for the latter in the pulsed–periodic mode with a current of 0.1–1.0 kA, pulse width of 0.1–1.0 ms, and a pulse repetition rate of 0.1–1.0 kHz are determined. The thermal conditions of the hollow cathode are analyzed, and the conclusion is drawn that the emission current high density is due to pulsed self-heating of the cathode’s surface layer. Conditions for stable emission from a plasma cathode with a grid acting as a plasma boundary using such a discharge are found at low accelerating voltage (100–200 eV) and a gas pressure of 0.1–0.4 Pa. The density of the ion current from a plasma generated by a pulsed beam with a current of 100 A is found to reach 0.1 A/cm². Probe diagnostics data for the emitting and beam plasmas in the electron source are presented, and a mechanism behind the instability of electron emission from the plasma is suggested on their basis.     

Intense emission from a grid-stabilized plasma cathode

Intense emission from a grid-stabilized plasma cathode based on a glow discharge with an expanded anode area is studied. In the electrode system of the ion source, the potential difference between a large-mesh grid electrode (a hole diameter of 4–6 mm) and cathode and anode plasma reaches 200 V and the glow discharge current is up to 1 A. The current distribution over the electrodes of the plasma cathode is taken, and the dependences of the electron extraction efficiency and electron-emitting-plasma potential on the gas pressure and discharge parameters are obtained. A relationship between the geometric parameters of the grid, cathode plasma potential, and efficiency of electron extraction from the plasma is derived. It is shown that stable intense emission from the plasma cathode can be provided in wide ranges of gas pressure and discharge current by varying the geometry and mesh size of the plasma cathode grid. Discharge contraction in the grid plane at elevated gas pressures is explained. It is assumed that the emitting plasma becomes inhomogeneous due to variation in the thickness of near-electrode layers in the holes of the grid, which makes the distribution of the emission current from the plasma more nonuniform.     

Glow discharge with an annular hollow cathode

A discharge system with peripheral discharge chambers (Penning cells) and common hollow cathode with only one cell supplied with power is studied. It is shown that a jumpwise transition from a dark discharge to a glow discharge is accompanied by the penetration of plasma into the hollow cathode.     

大面积等离子体片密度分布分析

利用空心阴极放电产生了尺寸为60 cm× 60 cm× 2 cm的大面积等离子体面. 在实验室条件下对大面积等离子体片的密度分布进行了测量. 由于高压放电脉冲脉宽较短, 实验中改变了测量方法, 同时, 在中等磁场影响下, 为了得到真实的等离子体密度, 进行了必要的数值修正.在放电电流为1---6 A时, 测量了二维的电子密度分布. 另外, 测量并讨论了其他环境参数对等离子体密度的影响. 电子密度的分布情况对与微波波束切换相当重要. 由空心阴极增强型放电产生的大面积等离子体面具有反射X波段(8---12 GHz) 微波需要的足够稠密的电子密度和足够均匀的密度分布, 这是等离子体面在雷达系统中取代金属面板的有利条件.     

Generation of homogeneous plasma in a low-pressure glow discharge

The possibility of producing homogeneous plasma in a low-pressure discharge with the use of a hollow anode or hollow cathode is analyzed. It is shown that, in contrast to the high-pressure discharge, where uniform ionization is needed to produce homogeneous plasma, in the low-pressure discharge, nearly uniform radial distribution of the plasma parameters can be achieved under nonuniform ionization conditions by increasing the ionization probability at the system periphery and reducing it near the system axis. It is shown that the magnetic field can facilitate generation of the homogeneous plasma instead of interfering with it.     

Analysis of a hollow-cathode reflex discharge in a hydrocarbon flow

Variation of parameters of a reflex discharge with a hollow cathode operating continuously in propane with a flow rate of 1.3–5.6 (m³ mPa)/s and a discharge current of 0.1–0.4 A is analyzed. It is shown that for a hydrocarbon flow rate of 2.4 (m³ mPa)/s and higher, an increase in the discharge voltage takes place after a time interval depending on the discharge current and gas pressure; this is explained by the formation of coating of the dissociation products of hydrocarbon molecules on the electrodes of the discharge chamber. An increase in the thickness of the carbon coating of the cathodes with time and their charging with ions lead to electric breakdown of coatings and the formation of cathode spots. The oscillograms of the discharge current and voltage indicate a short-term transformation of the glow discharge into the arc discharge. The energy spectra of ions emerging from the discharge are measured, and the effect of the discharge current and the gas flow rate on the energy spread of ions is analyzed. The operation time of the discharge in hydrocarbon after which the cleaning of the discharge chamber is required is determined. The possibility of using an ion source based on the reflex discharge with a hollow cathode for technological purposes is established.     

Inhomogeneous extended hollow cathode discharge for raising the current density in a forevacuum plasma source of a ribbon electron beam

The plasma parameters and the emissivity of a ribbon electron beam source based on a discharge with an inhomogeneous extended hollow cathode are measured. A constriction in the cathode cavity increases the plasma density near the emitting area boundary, which adds to the electron current density in the beam. The reason for the above effect is the formation of the plasma density distribution nonuniform across the cavity with a maximum in the middle. This maximum is caused primarily by a plasma electron flow from the constriction, which is generated by the electric field and is directed toward a slit emission-extracting aperture.     

Generation of high-energy electrons in a transverse slot-cathode nanosecond discharge at working gas medium pressures

Experimental data for the electrical and optical characteristics of a transverse slot-cathode nanosecond discharge are reported. The discharge is initiated in He at a discharge current of 1–500 A and a working gas pressure in a discharge chamber ranging from 10² to 10⁴ Pa. It is shown that the cathode current density is much (several orders of magnitude) higher than the total current density of an equivalent abnormal discharge. The electrical characteristics of an open discharge and a discharge confined by dielectric walls are found to differ considerably. Electrons passing through the cathode fall region acquire a high energy (on the order of 1 keV) under the given conditions. The fast electron relaxation conditions correlate with the initiation and evolution of the discharge. A pattern of the discharge evolution is derived from experimental data. A way of estimating the coefficient of electron emission from the cathode plasma is suggested.     

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.     

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.     

Hollow-cathode magnetron discharge as a generator of charged particles

A magnetron discharge with a cold hollow cathode and an uncooled rod cathode is studied. It is shown that such a discharge can be efficiently used to generate a plasma emitting charged particles. For a discharge current of 2 A and an accelerating voltage of 10 kV, ion and electron emission currents of 0.1–0.15 and 1 A, respectively, are achieved. The energy cost of ion extraction is 1–2 W/mA, which is two to five times less than for typical ion sources, and the energy efficiency is 15 mA/W, which is a factor of five or six higher than for electron emitters based on a hollow-cathode reflex discharge.     

Characteristics of an ion source with a plasma cathode and a multipole magnetic system for confining fast electrons

Parameters and ion-emission characteristics of the plasma generated in the anode stage of an ion source with a hollow glow-discharge plasma cathode are studied. To decrease the minimum operating gas pressure to 5×10³ Pa, a multipole magnetic system was installed on the surface of the hollow cathode and the peripheral magnetic field was enhanced in the anode stage of the source. The effect of the gas pressure, the plasma-cathode current, and the voltage between the electrodes of the anode stage on the value of the ion current extracted from the plasma is investigated. It is found that the size of the exit aperture of the hollow cathode substantially affects the efficiency of ion extraction. The potential (1–5 V) and the electron temperature (1–8 eV) of the anode-stage plasma are measured by the probe method. The conditions are determined that ensure the maximum ion-emission current from the plasma at low gas pressures.     

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采用蒙特卡罗模型对氮空心阴极放电等离子体鞘层离子(N2 、N )的输运过程进行了模拟研究,计算了阴极鞘层中氮离子(N2 、N )的能量及角分布的空间变化和粒子密度及平均能量随放电参数的变化规律。研究结果表明:空心阴极放电产生的氮离子,在鞘层输运过程中,N2 是密度几乎不变的低能粒子;N 是密度逐渐减少的高能粒子。随着电压增加,N 密度减小,平均能量增加;N2 密度和平均能量变化不明显。能量及入射角的相对分布规律与平板电极氮直流辉光放电基本类似,但圆筒空心阴极放电更有利于氮离子的产生。     

Electron Energy Distribution and Optical Characteristics of a Hollow Cathode Discharge

A model is proposed for the formation of the electron energy distribution in a hollow cathode discharge. On the basis of this model, an integral equation has been derived to calculate the electron distribution function over the entire cathode cavity volume. The equation holds true for both the isotropic distribution, and the case when the local distribution function is anisotropic. Solutions of the kinetic equation obtained are presented, for electron energies over 2–3 eV and up to the cathode fall potential. It is shown that the electron energy distribution function in this interval determines the optical characteristics of the hollow cathode discharge. A comparison is given of the calculated and measured radiation powers for the cases of the hollow cathode discharge in xenon and carbon dioxide. The discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental data does not exceed 20%.     

The influence of discharge parameters on the generation of ions H<Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> in the source based on reflective discharge with hollow cathode

For hydrogen ions source based on reflective discharge with hollow cathode the investigations of the effect of discharge current and gas pressure on the component composition of the ion beam have been performed. It has been shown that the optimization of the discharge parameters makes it possible to achieve up to 70% triatomic hydrogen ions H₃ ⁺ in the beam.     

Model of the stabilized distribution function for oscillating electrons in a hollow cathode

The form of the velocity distribution function of oscillating electrons in a low-pressure discharge with a hollow cathode is determined using the simple model of mathematical billiards. The distribution function is nonequilibrium and permits the development of instability of the plasma beam type.     

Localization of plasma in the extended hollow cathode of a ribbon-electron-beam plasma source at forevacuum pressures

The results of a study of the plasma density distribution in the slit aperture of a right-angled extended hollow cathode used in a ribbon-electron-beam plasma source operating at forevacuum pressures (1–10 Pa) are presented. It is shown that a local peak of plasma density appears in some region of the slit aperture as the slit width is decreased. This results in the appearance of a region of increased current density when the ribbon beam forms. The uniformity of the beam current density distribution is additionally disturbed by the reverse ion flow whose effect on the emission properties of the plasma is significant in the region of elevated pressure. A model which describes the development of plasma density nonuniformity in a hollow cathode is proposed which is based on the idea that the electron current flows predominantly through the slit aperture regions that are associated with local openings of the cathode layer ion sheaths. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 3–9, June, 2007.