Influence of the hole diameter in the perforated electrode on the parameters of electron beam generated by a forevacuum plasma electron source

Abstract

Abstract We present experimental results on geometry optimization of the emission electrode in a plasma cathode electron source operating in the forevacuum range of pressure. For the 2-mm thick emission electrode, we have determined an optimal diameter of the emission aperture that provides the most efficient electron extraction from a hollow cathode glow discharge plasma in helium. At the working pressure of helium in the vacuum chamber 30 Pa, the beam power during emission from a single aperture can vary from 2 to 6 kW, while the beam diameter does not exceed 0.5 mm.