The vacuum arc is a rich source of highly ionized metal plasma that can be used to make a high current metal ion source. Vacuum arc ion sources have been developed for a range of applications including ion implantation for materials surface modification, particle accelerator injection for fundamental nuclear physics research, and other fundamental and applied purposes. The beam parameters can be attractive, and the source has provided a valuable addition to the spectrum of ion sources available to the experimenter. Beams have been produced from over 50 of the solid metals of the periodic table, with mean ion energy up to several hundred keV and with beam current up to several amperes. Typically the source is repetitively pulsed with pulse length of order a millisecond and duty cycle of order 1%, and operation of a dc embodiment has been demonstrated. Here the source fundamentals and operation are reviewed, the source and beam characteristics summarized, and some applications examined.

https://cds.cern.ch/record/1693045/files/p311.pdf

Vacuum Arc Ion Sources

A high‐current ion source is described in which a metal vapor vacuum arc is used to create the plasma from which the ion beam is extracted. An ion beam current of up to about 1 A has been measured at an extraction voltage of 25 kV for a range of metallic species spanning the periodic table from lithium to uranium. Multiply ionized charge states are seen up to as high as Q=6+ in the case of uranium. In the metal vapor vacuum arc, regions of intense current concentration are formed at the cathode, and it is at these regions, the cathode spots, that the cathode material is vaporized and ionized to form a dense, quasi‐neutral plasma which plumes away from the cathode surface. The plasma plume is caused to impinge upon a set of extractor grids, and the ion beam is extracted from the streaming metal plasma. A preliminary survey of the performance of the source has been made. We describe here the principle of operation of the source, the source design, and the results of those measurements that we have made to date.

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Metal vapor vacuum arc ion source

The present state of knowledge concerning the physical phenomena of high-current interruption with vacuum interrupters (VI) is reviewed. Two arc control methods, application of externally applied axial magnetic field (AMF) or transverse magnetic field (TMF), are available to distribute the heat flux from arc to contacts homogeneously over contact surface, to avoid local overheating. AMF spreads the arc at fixed location. TMF moves the constricted arc over contact surface. Change from diffuse to constricted arcing mode results from superposition of two effects: "instability of anode sheath" and "influence of magneto-gas-dynamic", when no AMF component exists. Conditions of arc memory at current zero determine the process of current extinction and of recovery of breakdown strength to its ultimate value. Evaporation of metal vapor continues. Charge exchange between fast ions and slow vapor atoms increases the residual charge, left in the switching gap at current zero. Post arc current prolongs and increases consequently. Breakdown during recovery of dielectric strength occurs instantaneously or sporadically delayed. Behavior of breakdown is essentially determined by vapor density. Breakdown mechanism of delayed breakdown is still unresolved. Vapor density is too low to initiate breakdown alone. Lack of fundamental knowledge in combination with complexity hampers numerical treatment of arc behavior, as well as heat flux to contact during arcing and process of interruption presently, as needed for interpretation of experimental results and prediction purposes.

Physics of high-current interruption of vacuum circuit breakers

This paper discusses arc modes at the anode, anode temperature measurments, anode ions, transitions of the arc into various modes (principally the anode-spot mode), and theoretical explanations of anode phenomena. A vacuum arc can exhibit five anode discharge modes: 1) a low-current mode in which the anode is basically passive, acting only as a collector of particles emitted from the cathode; 2) a second low-current mode that can occur if the electrode material is readily sputtered (a flux of sputtered atoms will be emitted by the anode); 3) a footpoint mode, characterized by the appearance of one or more luminous spots on the anode (footpoints are much cooler than the true anode spots present in the last two modes); 4) an anode-spot mode in which one large or several small anode spots are present (such spots are very luminous, have a temperature near the atmospheric boiling point of the anode material, and are a copious source of vapor and ions); and 5) an intense-arc mode where an anode spot is present, but accompanied by severe cathode erosion. The arc voltage is relatively low and quiet in the two low-current modes and the intense-arc mode. It is usually high and noisy in the footpoint mode, and it can be either in the anode-spot mode. Anode erosion is low, indeed negative, in the two low-current modes, and it is low to moderate in the footpoint mode. Severe anode erosion occurs in both the anode-spot and intense-arc modes.

A Review of Anode Phenomena in Vacuum Arcs

This paper briefly reviews anode phenomena in vacuum arcs, specially experimental work. It discusses, in succession, arc modes at the anode, anode temperature measurements, anode ions, transitions of the arc into various modes (principally the anode spot mode), and theoretical explanations of anode phenomena. The two most common anode modes in a vacuum arc are a low current mode where the anode is basically passive, acting only as a collector of particles emitted from the cathode, and a high current mode with a fully developed anode spot. Characteristically this anode spot has a temperature near the atmospheric boiling point of the anode material and is a copious source of vapor and energetic ions. However, other anode modes can exist. A low current vacuum arc with electrodes of readily sputterable material may emit a flux of sputtered atoms from the anode. Usually this sputtered flux will have little effect upon the vacuum arc, but in certain circumstances it could be significant. A vacuum arc doesn't always transfer directly from a low current mode to the anode spot mode. In appropriate experimental conditions, formation of an anode spot may be preceded by the formation of an anode footpoint. This footpoint is luminous, but much cooler than a true anode spot. Finally, (again in appropriate circumstances) several small anode spots may form instead of one large anode spot. With sufficient increase in arc current or arcing time these will usually combine to form a single large active spot.

Vacuum Arc Anode Phenomena

Arc voltage - current characteristics and threshold current densities occuring during the formation of anode spots in triggered vacuum gaps are reported. Single pulses of 1.65 ms arcing time, which correspond to switching surge currents, are used in the study with copper and aluminum anodes. The threshold values are 1.75 times the values reported earlier using the longer, 8 mis, arcing time. They are found to depend upon the duration of arcing time as well as upon electrode material, surface conditions, electrode size and contact separation. Lateral inhomogenity in the electrode geometry appears to reduce the threshold value by promoting early formation of anode spots.

Anode Phenomena in Triggered Vacuum Gaps

The firing characteristics of the simple triggered vacuum gap (TVG) using lead zirconate titanate as dielectric material in the triggered gap are described. This TVG has a long life of about 2000 firings without appreciable deterioration of the electrical properties for main discharge currents upto 3 kA and is much superior to these made with Supramica (Mycalex Corporation of America) and silicon carbide as used in our earlier investigations. The effects of the variation of trigger voltage, trigger curcit, trigger pulse duration, trigger pulse energy, main gap voltage, main gap separation and main circuit energy on the firing characteristics have been studied. Trigger resistance progressively decreases with the number of firings of the trigger gap and as well as of the main gap. This decrease in the trigger resistance is more pronounced for main discharge currents exceeding 10 kA. The minimum trigger current required for reliable firing decreases with increase of trigger voltage upto a threshold value of 1.2 kV and there-onwards saturates at 3.0 A. This value is less than that obtained with Supramica as dielectric material. One hundred percent firing probability of the TVG at main gap voltages as low as 50 V is possible and this low voltage breakdown of the main gap appears to be similar to the breakdown at low pressures between moving plasma by other workers. and the cold electrodes immersed in it, as reported

R. S. N. Rau

Papers

Anode Phenomena in Triggered Vacuum Gaps

Low Voltage Firing Characteristics of a Simple Triggered Vacuum Gap