High-voltage Glow Discharge Research Articles

Cathode contamination effects in a high-voltage glow discharge

The electron emission from the cathode of a high-voltage low-pressure glow discharge, under various conditions, was studied with the aid of a simple electron emission microscope. The experiments were made in a roughing-pump atmosphere at a pressure of the order of 0·1 torr. Particular attention was paid to the influence of cathode temperature in the range 20-300°C. Organic contaminants appeared to spread over the cathode by an ion bombardment assisted process of surface migration at low temperatures, but decomposed to leave an immobile residue above about 150°C. The surface could be `cleaned' by ion bombardment at an elevated temperature (250°C), and then appeared to remain in a relatively clean state while hot. Direct contamination from the gaseous atmosphere was not detected. This interpretation is discussed in regard to the glow-to-arc transition, to vapour-deposition processes and to vacuum breakdown.

Material Processing with Glow Discharge Beams

Useful electron and ion guns can be based on high voltage glow discharge: they show great promise as a precisely controllable heat source for processing materials. What follows is a slightly amended form of a paper prepared by Dr Dugdale for the Bulletin of the Materials Science Club after he had been awarded the annual Materials Science Club Prize.

Cold cathodes made of zirconium-dioxide base cermets for high-voltage gas discharge devices

A technique is described for producing cermet specimens based on zirconium dioxide and containing tungsten, molybdenum, or iron by the method of hot pressing. The results are presented of tests on specimens of these materials in a high voltage glow discharge, together with their coefficients of ion-electron emission and cathode sputtering.

1670. Some properties of high voltage glow discharge in a hollow anode: Ya Ya Udris et al,Zh Tekh Fiz,36(6), June 1966, 1140–1173 (in Russian)

1670. Some properties of high voltage glow discharge in a hollow anode: Ya Ya Udris et al,Zh Tekh Fiz,36(6), June 1966, 1140–1173 (in Russian)