The amplitude and current pulse duration of a supershort avalanche electron beam in air at atmospheric pressure

The results of experimental studies of the parameters (amplitude and duration) of a supershort avalanche electron beam (SAEB) generated in air at atmospheric pressure are presented. It is shown that the pulse duration of the beam current behind the foil from the entire area of the anode foil is larger than from small areas and depends on the cathode design. The number of electrons that are detected behind the 10-μm-thick Al foil is ∼6 × 10¹⁰ electrons, which corresponds to a SAEB amplitude of ∼100 A at a FWHM of the current pulse of ∼100 ps. An X-ray exposure dose per pulse of ∼1.8 mR was obtained using a 20-μm-thick copper foil. It was confirmed that the FWHM of a SAEB pulse is within ∼50 ps from small foil areas (with diameters of ∼7 mm or smaller).     

Note: Measurement of extreme-short current pulse duration of runaway electron beam in atmospheric pressure air

This note reports the time-amplitude characteristic of the supershort avalanche electron beam with up to 20 ps time resolution. For the first time it is shown that the electron beam downstream of small-diameter diaphragms in atmospheric pressure air has a complex structure which depends on the interelectrode gap width and cathode design. With a spherical cathode and collimator the minimum duration at half maximum of the supershort avalanche electron beam current pulse was shown to be ～25 ps. The minimum duration at half maximum of one peak in the pulses with two peaks can reach ～25 ps too.     

Detection of x-ray emission in a nanosecond discharge in air at atmospheric pressure

Measurement of x-ray emission is an important parameter to investigate runaway behavior of fast electrons produced in nanosecond-pulse gas discharge. An online detection system of x rays is described in this paper, and the system consists of an x-ray detector with NaI (Tl) scintillator and photomultiplier tube, and an integrated multichannel analyzer. The system is responsible for detecting x-ray emission signal, processing the detected signals, and scaling the energy distribution. The calibration results show that every channel of the detection system represents a given x-ray energy and various x rays can be divided into different energy ranges between 10 and 130 keV. For a repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown between highly nonuniform gaps in open air, an energy distribution is obtained using the online detection system. It shows that the x-ray emission is a continuous spectrum and the x rays of above 60 keV dominate in the detected energy distribution.     

An experimental model of beam broadening in the variable pressure scanning electron microscope

In the variable pressure scanning electron microscope (VP-SEM) the incident electrons pass through a gaseous environment and the beam is scattered by these interactions. We show here that the experimental intensity profile of the scattered beam can be described as Gaussian in form to a high level of accuracy. This provides a rapid means of accounting for the effects of beam scatter in imaging and microanalysis because the standard deviation of the Gaussian is a simple function of parameters such as working distance, beam energy, gas type and pressure.     

An electron beam lithography and digital image acquisition system for scanning electron microscopes

A low‐cost microcontroller based control and data acquisition unit for digital image recording of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and scanning electron microscope based electron beam lithography (EBL) is described. The developed microcontroller low‐level embedded software incorporates major time critical functions for image acquisition and electron beam lithography and makes the unit an intelligent module which communicates via USB with the main computer. The system allows recording of images with up to 4096 × 4096 pixel size, different scan modes, controllable dwell time, synchronization with main power frequency, and other user controllable functions. The electron beam can be arbitrary positioned with 12‐bit precision in both dimensions and this is used to extend the scanning electron microscope capabilities for electron beam lithography. Hardware and software details of the system are given to allow its easy duplication. Performance of the system is discussed and exemplary results are presented.     

An improved photographic process for convergent beam electron diffraction applications

The use of a surface developer, pyrocatechol, to process transmission electron microscope negatives has been shown to have significant advantages over the conventional D-19 process. The process described here is tolerant of a large margin of error in the electron exposure and produces a negative that not only retains details both in the highlight as well as the faint regions, but also preserves local contrast. These characteristics are particularly useful in convergent beam electron diffraction applications where one encounters a wide contrast range. Improved acuteness and an enhanced signal to noise ratio due to the prolonged exposures associated with this process have also been observed.     

A facility for metal surface treatment with an electron beam

A design for a facility for the surface treatment of metal samples is described, and the results from investigating the source of a high-current low-energy electron beam are presented. The electron beam, which has a current as high as 300 A, a pulse duration of 30 µs, and a pulse repetition rate of up to 10 Hz, is formed in a plasma-cathode gas-filled diode at an accelerating voltage of 20 kV. The space-charge compensated electron beam is transported a distance of 20 cm in a longitudinal magnetic field to the region of its interaction with a solid body. At a current density as high as 100 A/cm², the power density produced by the beam is sufficient for the metal surface to be melted in the duration of one or several pulses. Samples can be replaced in the facility without breaking the vacuum.Translated from Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, No. 1, 2005, pp. 135–140.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Koval, Shchanin, Devyatkov, Tolkachev, Vintizenko.     

A coaxial chopping gap filled with air at atmospheric pressure with a pulse decay time ≤100 ps

The results of experimental studies of a coaxial chopping gap filled with air at atmospheric pressure are presented. At a pulse rise time of 100–300 ps and a voltage pulse amplitude of 30–145 kV, the obtained duration of the voltage-pulse decay time is ≤ 100 ps. The high stability of the gap operation is attained in the presence of the edge with a small radius of curvature on one of the electrodes. The fast voltage decay across the gap is determined by the preionization of the gap by runaway electrons.     

High resolution extreme ultraviolet spectrometer for an electron beam ion trap

An extreme ultraviolet spectrometer has been developed for spectroscopic studies of highly charged ions with an electron beam ion trap. It has a slit-less configuration with a spherical varied-line-spacing grating that provides a flat focal plane for grazing incidence light. Alternative use of two different gratings enables us to cover the wavelength range 1-25 nm. Test observations with the Tokyo electron beam ion trap demonstrate the high performance of the present spectrometer such as a resolving power of above 1000.     

An observation on the metallizing of specimens for scanning electron microscopy using cathode sputtering

Abnormal metallizing behaviour, occasionally observed during the cathode sputtering of gold onto specimens for scanning electron microscopy, is explained in terms of the decomposition of hydrocarbon vapour.     

An inexpensive and highly efficient device for observing a transmitted electron image in SEM

An inexpensive, efficient device that supplies a transmission mode to the conventional SEM has been developed. The transmitted electrons strike a metal plate, and these generate secondary electrons that are proportional to the quantity of the transmitted electrons. The generated electrons are collected by the secondary electron detector. Hence, the performance of this device is influenced by the number of secondary electrons generated in the metal plate. In order to construct a device that can attain the best transmitted electron image, the signal-to-noise ratio of images, obtained from various trial devices, were measured by a newly-developed digital image processing program. When the material and shape of the device are selected, to produce high-secondary emission, the efficiency of the device compares with that of a relatively expensive standard detector system (scintillator detector).     

A high-voltage nanosecond pulse generator for exciting diffuse gas discharges at atmospheric pressure

A high-voltage nanosecond pulse generator intended for studying diffuse discharges in gases at pressures close or equal to atmospheric pressure is described. The generator produces pulses with an ∼50-ns (at half-height) duration, a >50-kV voltage amplitude, a 10- to 12-ns rise time, and a pulse repetition rate of up to 1 kHz across an equivalent load (1.3 kΩ, 15 pF). The generator is based on available cheap components, and the amplitude (energy) of output pulses and their repetition rate can be promptly regulated in a wide range. The generator is immune to noise and reliable.     

Scanning electron microscopy of nonconductive specimens at critical energies in a cathode lens system

A method for scanning electron microscopy imaging of nonconductive specimens, based on measurement and utilisation of a critical energy, is described in detail together with examples of its application. The critical energy, at which the total electron yield curve crosses the unit level, is estimated on the basis of measurement of the image signal development from the beginning of irradiation. This approach, concentrated onto the detected signal as the only quantity crucial for the given purpose of acquiring a noncharged micrograph, evades consequences of any changes in an irradiated specimen that influence the total electron yield curve and possibly also the critical energy value. Implementation of the automated method, realised using a cathode lens-equipped scanning electron microsope (SEM), enables one to establish a mean rate of charging over the field of view and its dependence on the electron landing energy. This dependence enables one to determine the energy of a minimum damage of the image of the given field of view. Factors influencing reliability and applicability of the method are discussed and examples of noncharged micrographs of specimens from both life and material science fields are presented.     

Increasing the reliability and service life of the cathode unit of an electron accelerator with extraction of a large-cross-section beam to the atmosphere

The design of an electron accelerator cathode unit with short filament elements in the form of a coil without a tightening mechanism is described. The advantage of the developed design over those of cathodes with long filaments with tightening mechanisms is shown. The nonuniformity of the beam-current density distribution behind the foil is <3%. The filament power required for cathodes in the form of coils is 20% lower than that for long-filament cathodes at the same beam-current density. Mechanical stresses leading to a breakdown of the cathode filaments are absent. The service life is determined mainly by the emission-caused wear of cathodes.     

An efficient spectroscopic detection system for cathodoluminescence mode scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

A detection system for analytical cathodoluminescence (CL) mode scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is described. This incorporates a cold stage, an efficient light collector, a monochromator and a photomultiplier and used the photon counting technique. The efficiency of the component subsystems was optimized and calibrated, and the performance of alternative light collecting and monochromating equipment is compared. The operation of the photon counter is discussed. The digital output of the photon counter was fed into a multichannel scaler and thence to a computer. This was used to correct the observed count rate with the calibrated spectral variations in the performance of the detection system. Spectra obtained at both room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperacure and monochromatic and panchromatic SEM micrographs are given as examples illustrating the value of this technique. The factors governing the performance of the system are discussed. The forms of noise in the signal and in the detection system are described and the means for minimizing, avoiding or correcting for them are dealt with. Sources of spurious signals in the SEM are treated.     

Ion source with longitudinal ionization of a molecular beam by an electron beam in a magnetic field

A high-efficiency ion source for a mass-spectrometer’s detector of molecular beams and their scattering products is described. The ion source is designed according to a scheme of impact ionization of a beam particle by a longitudinal electron beam in a magnetic field with a strength of up to 130 mT. The design of the source developed is very flexible and has no limitations for use in any experiments with molecular beams. An ionization efficiency of particles of an atomic helium beam of 10^?3 ions/atom has been achieved. The useful signal-to-background ratio in the detector’s chamber is 3 × 10⁴ during detection of ions with mass-to-charge ratio m/q = 4 amu.     

Filamentary streamer discharges in argon at atmospheric pressure excited by surface plasmon polaritons

This paper describes a microwave plasma jet in an argon atmosphere capable of generating filamentary streamer discharges within the entire quartz tube excited by surface waves of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) located in the tube. Several discharge streamers are immediately produced at the end of the copper wire when incident power reaches 20 W. From simulations, the wavelength of the surface wave was found to be approximately 5.7 cm. Although the developing streamers induce E-field enhancements favoring discharging, more streamer bifurcations requiring additional energy to maintain discharging diminish the resonant enhanced E-field. The underlying mechanism of the proposed plasma jet is resonant excitation of SPPs and its interaction with plasmas.