Alexander V. Batrakov

Droplet spot as a new object in physics of vacuum discharge

It is established experimentally that the burning of a low-current (several and tens of amperes) pulsed (microseconds) vacuum discharge is accompanied by the formation of plasma microbunches around some of the droplets leaving the cathode spot. The parameters of these bunches (electron concentration ne∼1026 m−3 and equilibrium temperature Te∼1 eV) are close to the parameters of cathode-spot plasma. The data obtained suggest that the initial temperature of droplets and the thermionic emission from them play a key role in the formation of such plasma microbunches. By analogy with the well-known cathode and anode spots in vacuum discharges, these droplet plasma formations are classified as “droplet spots.” This work reports the first results on studying the formation dynamics and the characteristics of the droplet spots. It is noted that the concept of droplet spots will require a certain refinement of the plasma formation mechanism in vacuum discharges.

Plasma parameters of an arc cathode spot at the low-current vacuum discharge

This paper is devoted to the results of an experimental study of plasma parameters of cathode spot burning on a liquid-metal cathode in vacuum at a low-current (less than 200 A) vacuum arc discharge. Picosecond laser interferometry and absorption shadow imaging were used in a single experiment. Plasma fragments as dense as 10/sup 26/ m/sup -3/ were observed at discharge currents less than 50 A. Such fragments were never observed in arc discharges with currents higher than 100 A or in the breakdown stage of the discharge.

Pulsed HV vacuum breakdown of polished, powder coated, and e-beam treated large area stainless steel electrodes with 0.5 to 7 mm gaps

An investigation of the HV vacuum breakdown between polished, powder coated, and e-beam treated 304L and 316L stainless steel electrodes is described. Tests were performed with 160 ns, 1-cos(/spl omega/t), and 260 ns flat-top voltage pulses of up to 500 kV. The high voltage hold-off for the 160 ns pulse was /spl sim/130 kV/mm for 2 mm gaps for 80-mm diameter polished stainless steel electrodes, and 15% lower for 120-mm polished and e-beam treated electrodes. The longer 260 ns pulse gave 15% lower hold-off for 80-mm electrodes. These electrodes showed voltage hold-off that scaled as the square root of the gap between 0.5 and 7 mm. This total voltage effect has been interpreted in the past as due to accelerated particles. We analyze our data in terms of this mechanism and show that only nanoparticles of molecular size could be responsible. We also discuss how ions or background gas could affect the breakdown thresholds but existing models do not predict square root dependence. We test how extremely fine powers affect hold-off and show that contaminated surfaces have relatively constant reduced breakdown E-fields that intersect the clean-electrode voltage-dependent breakdown at critical gaps defined by the type and quantity of contamination. The hold-off was /spl sim/55 and 65 kV/mm with copper powder on the cathode and anode for 2 to 6.5 mm gaps, respectively, and /spl sim/95 and 75 kV/mm for talc powder on the cathode and anode for gaps <3.5 and 6.5 mm. Optical diagnostics show no difference in the light emission from clean and contaminated electrode breakdown arcs.

Resonant atomic interfero- and shadowgraphy of vacuum arc with gallium cathode

The mechanism of the emission of neutral atoms of the cathode material into the discharge gap of a microsecond low-current vacuum arc with a liquid Ga cathode has been investigated by the method of subnanosecond resonance laser interfero- and shadowgraphy. It has been shown that the cathode material vaporization has a pronounced nonstationary character and occurs both isotropically and in the form of constricted weakly ionized jets with the atom concentration in a jet over 10/sup 17/cm/sup -3/.

Spectroscopic Study of a Single Vacuum-Arc Cathode Spot

The cathode-spot plasma in spark and arc stages of a vacuum discharge was studied spectroscopically. A single spot was generated with high reproducibility in a gap under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions with a liquid-metal cathode of GaIn alloy. The self-breakdown of the vacuum gap resulting in a short discharge of less than 100 ns as well as a discharge over and up to 3 mus has been considered. The combination of a 0.5-m spectrograph with a streak camera enabled observation of spot evolution with a time resolution in the nanosecond range. Applying the streak camera as an image converter, time-integrated spectra resolved in the direction along the arc axis have been obtained. Limits concerning wavelength and time resolution as well as the emission intensity are discussed. Spectral lines of Ga and In atoms and single- and double-charged ions have been observed simultaneously. At the beginning of the discharge, ionic lines of higher charge state and wide line broadening dominate the spectrum. With a delay of several hundreds of nanoseconds, atomic lines appear and fall down in intensity to a much lesser degree than the ionic lines. Hence, atomic lines finally dominate in the arc stage of the discharge.

Observation of the Plasma Plume at the Anode of High-Current Vacuum Arc

Stable and bright plumes with a distinct and bright shell are observed at the anode of the high-current vacuum arc burning during 10 ms at a current of up to 15 kA in peak. A plume is attached to a hot spot at the anode. The substance inside a plume is almost dark. Light from a plume shell is emitted mostly by neutral atoms. A distinct bright shell is surrounded by substances emitting light in ion lines. Appearance of plumes looks to be a result of the interaction between cathode and anode jets. Plume dimensions depend inversely on both arc current and arc voltage, which makes plumes small and inconvenient for observations except as near current zero. Anode plumes are recognized on copper-chromium electrodes to be a stable object. However, similar objects on pure copper are much less stable and appear only at heat-insulated liquid protrusions and droplets flying in a gap. This fact indicates the evaporation rate to play a key role in appearance of plumes. In addition, the evaporation rate of a plane copper-chromium surface under high-current vacuum arc is supposed to be as high as that of heat-insulated liquid copper protrusions and droplets.

On priorities of cathode and anode contaminations in triggering the short-pulsed voltage breakdown in vacuum

Modern theoretical notations on electrical breakdown in vacuum consider cathode triggering mechanisms to be most responsible on short-pulsed (<1 /spl mu/s) breakdowns while anode mechanisms to be responsible in a part on DC and long-pulsed breakdowns. Following those notations, we tried to reveal conditions at which either mechanism steps aside to another one. The study involved several experimental techniques including the anode-probe surface scanning, pulsed electron-beam surface melting in vacuum for surface cleaning, and intentional dust particle contamination of electrode surfaces. Breakdown tests were performed using a pulser capable of producing 220 kV quasi-square pulses that were adjustable to /spl sim/30 to 80 ns pulse length. Our experiments showed that cathode emission sites are responsible for breakdowns at relatively low hold-off fields. At higher electric fields of up to 1 MV/cm, the anode share in the mechanism of triggering breakdown becomes probably more significant than the cathode mechanism.

Time- and Spectrum-Resolved Study of a Single Cathode Spot in Vacuum

Optical emission of a single cathode spot is studied to improve understanding of cathode spot initiation and dynamics. A single cathode spot was generated with high reproducibility in a gap under UHV conditions at a liquid Ga-In-alloy cathode. Discharges were initiated by rectangular voltage pulses of 100-ns length produced by a cable generator. Spot radiation was recorded in time with a high temporal and spectral resolution by a spectrograph coupled with a streak camera and a CCD camera. Cathode spot light radiation was found to be weak in the discharge beginning as the equipment set records nothing. Cathode spot radiation becomes bright when cathode spot plasma approaches closely to the anode. Unlike spot initiation in a pure vacuum gap, a cathode spot starts as a bright flash when the gap is filled with plasma.

Diagnostics of the Cathode Sheath Expansion After Current Zero in a Vacuum Circuit Breaker

Langmuir probes operating in the electron saturation current mode were used to detect the time of the arrival of the cathode sheath at the probe position. The probe current was measured just before and after current zero (CZ) followed the transient recovery voltage in a gap with copper electrodes. Probe measurements were accompanied with the detection of the postarc currents. Basic plasma parameters such as electron temperature and density were measured in the vicinity of the arcing gap. The data set allowed us to reconstruct the sheath dynamics after CZ.

Spectroscopic Investigation of a Cu—Cr Vacuum Arc

Experiments on high-current arcs carried out in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber are presented in this paper. For contact separation the lower electrode is moved by a mechanical-pneumatic device simulating the conditions of a vacuum circuit breaker. The arc behavior of the Cu-Cr test electrodes after the electrode separation without application of external magnetic field is observed by a high-speed video camera. Besides the usual electrical measurements, the emission in the gap along the electrode axis is investigated by spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy. Differences are found in the intensity distribution of atomic and ionic lines along the gap.