Protecting the anode foil of a high-current electron accelerator against arc-discharge damage

The mechanism of anode foil damage during the extraction of a high-power pulsed electron beam from a high-current diode has been experimentally studied on a TEU-500 electron accelerator [1]. It is established that the breakage of the anode foil is caused by the appearance of cathode spots on its surface, the intense electron emission from these spots during positive voltage pulses (postpulses following the main negative pulse of accelerating voltage), and the formation of arc discharge in the interelectrode gap. The improvement of diode matching to the pulse-forming line of the accelerator and the use of an auxiliary electrode (anode) forming additional vacuum discharge gap (crowbar) with the cathode practically excludes the anode foil breakage by arc discharge and significantly increases the working life of the foil (up to ∼10⁵ electron beam pulses).     

Sparkless discharge in dense gases with preionization by a low-energy electron beam of a barrier open discharge

A highly stable sparkless discharge can be obtained using preionization by an electron beam, photons, and plasma electrons formed in a barrier open discharge, for which a grid electrode (that also serves as a cathode for the main discharge) is situated immediately on a dielectric-coated electrode surface. In the standard gas mixture for an ArF laser at a pressure of 2.5 bar, an energy deposition of 2.5 J/cm³ in a 12-ns pulse at a specific power of 210 MW/cm³ was achieved. The results are of interest for the development of technological excimer lasers operating at a high pulse repetition rate.     

Studying the field emission cathode–gate structure based on carbon nanotubes for electron-optical systems with a sheet beam

Results of studying the cathode–gate structure based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are presented. Experimental samples of a matrix field emission cathode–gate structure based on a vertical array of CNTs with a cell diameter of 1 μm and microstructure period of 5 μm have been manufactured. Based on experimental data, an electron-optical system with a ribbon-type field emission CNT based cathode with a linear convergence of 6.25 and beam-current density of 4.46 A/cm² has been proposed. Results of modeling a sheet 0.16-mm-thick electron beam formed by an electron gun with a CNT cathode demonstrated the possibility to obtain a low-perveance flow with a small deformation in the 0.3 × 0.8-mm beam tunnel of a slow wave 25-mm-long structure.     

Plasma cathode for a broad-beam electron accelerator

We propose a grid-stabilized plasma cathode based on a slit-contracted low-pressure glow discharge with hollow anode. The area of the plasma cathode is one order of magnitude higher than that in systems where electrons are extracted immediately from plasma in the cathode cavity. Conditions for the discharge initiation, the current switching to the hollow anode, and the obtaining of uniform emission from the plasma cathode are determined. At an accelerating voltage of 160 kV, an electron beam with a 1000 × 180 mm cross section, a total current of several amperes, and a current pulse duration of up to 10⁻³ s was obtained. The plasma cathode operates under technical vacuum conditions (air, 0.1 Pa) and ensures high stability and reproducibility of the beam current pulses.     

Magnetically confined high power thermionic line source emitter assembly

A directly heated thermionic high power electron beam source was constructed. The circular cross-section tungsten line cathode of length 140 mm with diameter 0.9 mm was used. Different gun design parameters were investigated and their results are discussed in detail. A uniform external magnetic field of 50 G was employed for focusing of electron beam at 180 ° deflection. The gun delivers uniform emission current density throughout the emission surface. The dimensions of the electron beam at worksite were comparable with the line cathode. The beam power of 57 kW was successfully achieved well below the saturation limit. The spring action mechanism was especially designed to avoid any cathode deformation. The gun design facilitates the reported length and emitting surface temperature of the cathode to be further increased to obtain higher emission values. The important gun features are operational reproducibility and long time stability. The evaporation rates for stainless steel have been achieved up to 1 kg/hr. An area of (280×120 mm²) could be heat treated with the line source electron beam in few milliseconds. The gun is extremely useful for melting, evaporation and heat treatment.     

Long-lived explosive-emission cathode for high-power microwave radiation generators

The operation of cold explosive-emission cathodes having a current density of ∼10⁴ A/cm², fabricated using various materials, was investigated under a large number of switching cycles. The cathode voltage was ∼500 kV, the maximum current ∼5 kA, and the pulse duration ∼20 ns. It is shown that when the number of switchings is small (⩽10³ pulses), cathodes having similar geometry exhibit similar emission properties. For most of the materials studied, as the number of switching cycles increases (⩾10³ pulses), the current rise time increases (as far as the pulse duration) and the maximum vacuum diode current decreases. When a graphite cathode was used, the maximum current remained unchanged up to 10⁸ switching cycles. The mass removed from the cathode was determined for various materials. The results were used to achieve continuous operation of a relativistic 3 cm backward-wave tube having an output power of 350–400MW and an almost constant power level during 10⁸ pulses at a repetition frequency of 100–150 Hz. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 25, 84–94 (November 26, 1999)     

Dynamics of subnanosecond electron beam formation in gas-filled and vacuum diodes

The dynamic characteristics of a subnanosecond pulsed electron beam formation in the accelerating gap of a gas-filled or evacuated diode have been studied at a time resolution ～10^?11 s. In the air-filled gap, the electron beam pulse with a current amplitude of several amperes is formed up to about one hundred picoseconds earlier than the analogous pulse under vacuum conditions, and the measured pulse duration (～10^?10 s) is close to the electron flight time across a diode gap in the continuous acceleration regime. It is shown that a nanosecond prepulse plays an important role by initiating the emission of electrons that are subsequently accelerated by the high-voltage pulse with a subnanosecond front.     

The electron beam gun with thermionic hairpin-like cathode for welding and surface modifications

An axial thermionic electron beam emitter assembly with a special geometry of the cathode along with particular spacing of the electrodes has been used to produce a stable, sharp and high power density image at an acceleration voltage of 10 kV only. A hairpin-like tungsten wire, with diameter of 0.7 mm having semi-spherical emitting area at the crown with an angle of 45 degree at the vertex was used as a cathode. A direct heating method was used to heat the cathode. The emission current of the gun is in accordance with the Langmuir relation. An electromagnetic coil was used for focusing the beam at the target. A two dimensional programmable movement was applied to control the work site in the x-y direction. Focusing of the beam has been achieved up to 1 mm in diameter at an acceleration voltage of 10 kV.Thermionic efficiency of the gun is 4 mA W⁻¹ and the power density measured is ∼10⁵ W cm⁻².The gun was used for welding and surface modification of different materials including refractory metals.     

Dense plasma formation on the surface of a ferroelectric cathode

An enhanced electron emission mode of the ferroelectric plasma cathode operation is reported. The enhanced emission is achieved due to the generation of dense plasma (10¹⁹-10²⁰ m⁻³). This plasma is formed by a flashover which is initiated by charged particles. These particles are attracted to the ferroelectric surface by a driving electric field and are released during its decay. Generation of an electron beam with current amplitude ?2.5 kA is demonstrated in a diode under an accelerating voltage of 150-300 kV and pulse duration of 300 ns.     

High repetition rate pulsed X-ray source employing supershort avalanche electron beams

The formation of a volume discharge in an open gas diode with coaxial electrodes was accompanied by hard X-ray emission. The conditions of supershort avalanche electron beam formation are retained at a pulse repetition rate up to 1.5 kHz.     

A high-power periodic nanosecond pulse source of coherent 8-cm electromagnetic radiation

The generation of short electromagnetic pulses excited in an extended slow-wave system (SWS) of a relativistic backward wave tube (BWT) operating in the so-called superradiance regime with a carrier frequency of 3.7 GHz has been simulated and experimentally studied. At a decreased magnetic field (about 0.2 T) in the SWS, the BWT generated 2.5-ns microwave pulses with a power of up to 800 MW. At a pulse repetition rate of 100 Hz, the working life of the system was limited by the lifetime of an explosive emission cathode (10⁶ pulses). The possibility of phase synchronization of the high-frequency field of the relativistic microwave oscillator with respect to the voltage pulse front is demonstrated for the first time.     

Influence of laser pulse parameters on characteristics of a source of multicharged metal ions based on laser-induced medium-power spark discharge

The dynamics of laser-induced vacuum spark discharge with storage energy not exceeding 25 J has been studied in a broad range of laser pulse energies and power densities. It is shown that, using discharge-initiating laser pulse of nanosecond duration, it is possible to obtain stable single pinching of cathode jet plasma at a storage voltage above 10 kV. Plasma pinching is accompanied by the generation of a beam of multicharged ions of the cathode material (aluminum) up to Al⁸⁺. The maximum energies of ions obey the scaling relation E _max = 5ZeU ₀ that has been obtained previously for a low-voltage discharge. An increase in the laser pulse energy leads to growth of the average beam charge and a sharp decrease in the ion energy.     

Peculiarities of the kinetics of explosive decomposition of silver azide initiated by a pulsed electron beam

We have studied the spectrum and kinetics of optical emission accompanying the explosive decomposition of silver azide crystals initiated by a nanosecond electron beam (0.25 MeV, 20 ns, 0.1–2 kA/cm²). The emission kinetics reveals a component observed during the initiating pulse action, whose spectrum coincides with the spectrum of preexplosive luminescence observed in the subsequent stages of the initiation reaction. It is shown that the explosive decomposition reaction is initiated directly during the electron beam action and has a nonmonotonic kinetics.     

Modeling of an Electron-Optical System with Converging Sheet Beam for a Traveling Wave Tube of Terahertz Frequency Range

A converging sheet electron beam with a cross section of 0.05 × 2 mm and current density of 200 A/cm², which is formed by an electron gun, is modeled using the synthesis and analysis methods at the condition of magnetic shielding of the cathode. The deformation in the cross section of the beam in the focusing magnetic field is analyzed based on a computer three-dimensional model of an electron optical system with a sheet electron beam. The current-voltage characteristic of an electron gun is studied experimentally in the pulse mode. A collector current of 200 mA is obtained with the beam thickness being 70 μm.     

An electron source with a multiarc plasma emitter for obtaining submillisecond pulsed megawatt beams

An electron source with a plasma emitter based on an arc-discharge system with six cathodes and a common cylindrical hollow anode is described. Upon synchronous initiation of vacuum-arc discharges, the space of the hollow anode is filled by dense low-temperature plasma, the emission boundary of which is stabilized by a fine-structure metal grid with a 150-cm² area. The arc-current amplitude for each cathode amounts to 100–300 A. Under the action of a constant accelerating voltage applied between the plasma emitter and grounded accelerating electrode combined with the drift tube, electrons are extracted from plasma and accelerated. At a working pressure of 0.04 Pa, an electron beam with a maximum current amplitude of 1 kA has been obtained at an initial accelerating voltage of 80 kV and pulse duration (FWHM) of 100 μs, which has been transported in a longitudinal magnetic field of 0.035 T over a distance of 80 cm.     

Generation and induced emission on transitions in Xe2Cl* exciplex molecules in Xe-CCl4 and Ar-Xe-CCl4 “Dilute” gas mixtures pumped by pulsed electron beam

We have experimentally studied spontaneous and induced emission from Xe₂Cl* triplex molecules in Xe-CCl₄ and Ar-Xe-CCl₄ “dilute” gas mixtures excited by a pulsed high-energy electron beam. For an energy of about 0.004 J/pulse deposited in a 4-cm-long cavity, a regime of spontaneous emission amplification in a wavelength range of 430–550 nm is realized on transitions from 2²B₂ and 4²Γ states of Xe₂Cl* molecules.     

Spontaneous and stimulated emission in microwave oscillators with a virtual cathode

A one-dimensional model of electron beam emission with a virtual cathode is used to show that spontaneous emission occurs in a reditron while stimulated emission is observed in vircators and negative triodes. However, at a certain stage in the latter, the radiative instability is quenched as a result of the evolution of turbulence in the electron beam. The idea is therefore put forward that this quenching may be eliminated by specially shaping the leading edge of the high-voltage supply pulse to the diode of the microwave oscillator. Pis’ma Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 24, 41–46 (February 26, 1998)     

Enhanced emission during submillisecond low-energy electron beam generation in a diode with grid-stabilized plasma cathode and open anode plasma boundary

We have experimentally studied the phenomenon of emission enhancement in a gas-filled diode with grid-stabilized plasma cathode and open (mobile) anode plasma boundary at an accelerating voltage of up to 20 kV. As the working gas pressure is increased to p ≥ 10⁻² Pa and the longitudinal magnetic field is increased to B _z ≥ 20 mT, the current in the accelerating gap exhibits significant growth, sometimes by a factor of two or more. Experimental data show that the most probable mechanism responsible for this effect is ion-induced secondary electron emission from the emitting electrode surface bombarded by ions from plasma generated by the electron beam in the drift space. These ions are accelerated in the space charge layer between the emitting electrode surface and the mobile boundary of the beam-generated (anode) plasma.     

The application of the glow discharge to material processing

The mechanism and characteristics of the glow discharge are outlined. Energetic electrons and ions, which are generated in the cathode fall region, may be focused or guided to form a beam by geometrical arrangements of the discharge electrodes and by magnetic fields. Two practical arrangements are described: a spherical hollow cathode device, which produces a hot zone at its centre; and a hollow anode device, which produces wellcollimated electron and ion beams. Glow discharge beam devices work at rough vacuum pressures, in the range 10^–2 to 1 mm Hg, and are particularly suited to the processing of glass and oxide ceramics since, owing to the presence of plasma, no electrical charging of target insulating materials takes place. Limitations are set on the operating conditions of glow discharges by the heat input to the electrodes, by erosion due to sputtering, and by the glow-to-arc transition. Proper engineering, however, should allow cathode current densities of the order of 1 A/cm² when operated at an anode voltage of the order of 10 kV, and focusing should realise electron beam power densities of up to the order of 1 MW/cm², with efficiency of about 50%. Thus, the glow discharge may have a wide range of applications to material processing, from etching by sputtering at low power to processing by the most intense heating. New methods of forming and fabricating oxide bodies based on condensation of vapour and on powder deposition are discussed.     

Study of the velocity distribution in an intense pulsed hydrogen beam

We present the results of measurements of the velocity distributions of particles in a pulsed hydrogen beam obtained from a dissociator with a radio frequency discharge (duration 1.0 ms, repetition rate 1 Hz). It is shown that the hydrogen inside the dissociator is heated up to ～2800 K, so the thermal dissociation of hydrogen molecules is essential. In order to cool the atoms, the gas was let through a pyrex channel 5 mm in diameter. The cooling channel walls being at room temperature and the channel having a length of 50 mm, we have obtained a supersonic beam of hydrogen atoms with a Mach number M_| = 2.7±0.25. When the channel walls were cooled by the flowing liquid nitrogen and the channel was 70 mm long we obtained a beam of cooled atoms with a Mach number M_| = 4.14±0.35. The velocity distribution of atoms depends on the power of the rf discharge inside the dissociator and on the gas consumption per pulse, and varies during the discharge pulse. For a temperature of the cooling channel walls T_ch = 77 K, a gas consumption N = 3.3×10¹⁷ molecules per pulse and a discharge power of 0.23 kW cm^?3, we have obtained an atomic beam with intensity I(0) = (2.8±0.8)×10²⁰ atoms sr^?1 s^?1 and a most probable velocity ν_MP = (1.97±0.07)×10⁵ cm s^?1.