Abstract:
An apparatus and method for controlling electron flow within a plasma to produce a controlled electron beam is provided. A plasma is formed between a cathode and an acceleration anode. A control anode is connected to the plasma and to the acceleration anode via a switch. If the switch is open, the ions from the plasma flow to the cathode and plasma electrons flow to the acceleration anode. With the acceleration anode suitably transparent and negatively biased with a DC high voltage source, the electrons flowing from the plasma are accelerated to form an electron beam. If the switch is closed, the ions still flow to the cathode but the electrons flow to the control anode rather than the acceleration anode. Consequently, the electron beam is turned off, but the plasma is unaffected. By controlling the opening and closing of the switch, a controlled pulsed electron beam can be generated.
Abstract:
The invention concerns a source supplying an adjustable energy electron beam, comprising a plasma chamber (P) consisting of an enclosure (1) having an inner surface of a first value (S1) and an extraction gate (2) having a surface of a second value (S2), the gate potential being different from that of the enclosure and adjustable. The invention is characterized in that the plasma is excited and confined in multipolar or multidipolar magnetic structures, the ratio of the second value (S2) over the first value (S1) being close to: D=1/β √2πme/mi exp (−½), wherein: β is the proportion of electrons of the plasma P, me the electron mass, and mi is the mass of positively charged ions.
Abstract translation:本发明涉及提供可调节能量电子束的源,包括由具有第一值(S1)的内表面的外壳(1)和具有第二值的表面的抽出栅极(2)组成的等离子体室(P) 值(S2),门电位与外壳不同,可调。 本发明的特征在于等离子体被激发并限制在多极或多极磁结构中,第二值(S2)超过第一值(S1)的比接近于:D = 1 /&bgr; √2&pgr; me / mi exp(-½),其中:&bgr; 是等离子体P的电子的比例,me是电子质量,mi是带正电荷的离子的质量。
Abstract:
An electron generating device extracts electrons, through an electron sheath, from plasma produced using RF fields. The electron sheath is located near a grounded ring at one end of a negatively biased conducting surface, which is normally a cylinder. Extracted electrons pass through the grounded ring in the presence of a steady state axial magnetic field. Sufficiently large magnetic fields and/or RF power into the plasma allow for helicon plasma generation. The ion loss area is sufficiently large compared to the electron loss area to allow for total non-ambipolar extraction of all electrons leaving the plasma. Voids in the negatively-biased conducting surface allow the time-varying magnetic fields provided by the antenna to inductively couple to the plasma within the conducting surface. The conducting surface acts as a Faraday shield, which reduces any time-varying electric fields from entering the conductive surface, i.e. blocks capacitive coupling between the antenna and the plasma.