Vacuum arc ignition by penning discharge in a strong magnetic field
- High Current Electronics Inst., Tomsk (Russian Federation); and others
Vacuum arc with cathode spots on the cold electrode is widely used as a plasma generator in a such kind of devices like metal ion sources, plasma cathode electron guns, thing films deposition facilities and others. Most vacuum arc devices utilize a high voltage discharge across an insulator surface to provide a trigger plasma which in turn initiates the main arc discharge. Operation of vacuum arc in a repetitively pulsed mode required a stable triggering system for the long time. But with a discharge across the insulators the number of stable pulses is limited by 100,000 or little bit more. The better method for vacuum arc ignition is low pressure discharge. As shown in this paper it is possible to increase the lifetime of the ignition system in 10 times at least, but negative characteristic of this system is a relatively high pressure (about 0.1 mtorr). In some kinds of vacuum arc applications it is impermissible because it leads to the {open_quotes}contamination{close_quotes} of the metal plasma by the gaseous one. In order to decrease the background pressure, using the gas discharge ignition system for vacuum arc, Penning discharge is suggested. The main new feature of this system is an applying the strong magnetic field not only for stabilization of the cathode spot moving and for the rise the high charge states of ions in metal plasma, but also for the essential decrease the lowest point of the background gas pressure when the Penning discharge is still in a stable operation. Under the stable mode of Penning discharge there was always a stable vacuum arc ignition.
- OSTI ID:
- 226912
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950749-; TRN: 96:001471-0049
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 22. international conference on phenomena in ionized gases, Hoboken, NJ (United States), 31 Jul - 4 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of XXII International conference on phenomena in ionized gases. Contributed papers 1; Becker, K.H.; Carr, W.E.; Kunhardt, E.E. [eds.]; PB: 172 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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