JPS636969B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cold cathode active device using PIG discharge, a type of low-pressure atmospheric discharge.

Active elements in electric circuits include semiconductor devices such as transistors and vacuum tubes such as transmitting tubes. Semiconductor devices are limited to various rated voltages as a single unit,
When used in high voltage circuits, the drawback is that the circuit configuration is complex and expensive. Vacuum tubes have a hot cathode, either directly heated or indirectly heated, and have the disadvantage that they require a cathode heating power source to drive.

The present invention improves the drawbacks of conventional active elements, and provides an excellent cold cathode active element that has a high voltage that can be controlled by itself, can be used in a circuit with a simple configuration, and does not have a hot cathode.

This invention makes it possible to control PIG discharge by installing a control electrode insulated from the anode and cathode, penetrating the inside of the anode cylinder and parallel to the direction of the magnetic field, and controlling the potential difference between the cathode and the control electrode. , a cold cathode active device that can be used as a cold cathode triode.

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below. For example, a cold cathode active element applied to a cold cathode triode having a configuration as shown in FIG. 1 will be described. This cold cathode triode has a cylindrical anode 1 and an anode 1.
A pair of cathodes 3, 4 provided close to the anode 1 so as to cover both ends of the hollow part 2, which is the inside of the cylindrical body formed by the cylindrical body, and a container 5 for storing the anode 1 and the cathodes 3, 4. and a lead-out part for electrically leading out the anode 1 and the cathodes 3 and 4 in an insulated manner to the outside of the container 5;
That is, the lead terminals 6 and 7, the magnetic field generator 8 that applies a magnetic field in the direction of the cylinder axis of the anode 1, and the control electrode 9 arranged inside the hollow part 2 and led out to the outside of the container 5 by the lead terminal 12. It mainly consists of The anode 1 has openings at both ends, and a gap is provided between the anode 1 and the cathodes 3 and 4 so that a gas can enter the hollow part 2. The cathode 3 has a disk shape, and is provided facing the cathode 4, but is electrically connected to the cathode 4 so that they have a common potential. The anode 1 is connected to a DC power supply 26, the cathodes 3 and 4 are grounded via a load 24, and a load current Ik flows therethrough. The magnetic field generator 8 surrounds the container 5 in a cylindrical shape, and is configured to generate a magnetic field parallel to the cylindrical axis direction of the hollow portion 2 of the anode when energized by a power source 8a. Control electrode 9
penetrates the hollow part 2 of the anode 1, and is arranged parallel to the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator 8 at a position away from the central axis of the cylindrical axis of the hollow part 2. It is preferable that the control electrode be located away from the central axis of the cylinder shaft, as this will reduce impact from ions generated by discharge, cause less wear and tear, and cause less temperature rise. Input device 25 that holds voltage Vg
is grounded through. A current Ig flows from this input device.

In the cold cathode triode thus configured, the open side (left side in the figure) of the container 5 is evacuated in advance to a desired degree of vacuum by, for example, an evacuation device (not shown). When the triode is operated, a desired gas, such as He gas, is supplied from the open end side of the vacuum vessel 5 into the vacuum vessel 5 to cause an air discharge to occur in the hollow portion 2 of the anode 1. The current flowing from the cathodes 3 and 4 to the grounding point via the load 24 is Ik, and the input power 25 is connected to the control electrode 9.
When a potential Vg is given by , this flowing current is Ig, the potential given to the anode 1 by the DC power supply 26 is Va, and the flowing current is Ia, each current Ia,
The relationship Ik=Ig+Ia holds for Ig and Ik.

The relationship between the voltages Vg and Va, including the load, magnetic field, and working gas, must be such that a PIG cold cathode discharge can occur, but other than that, this invention does not impose any particular restrictions on the operating conditions of the triode. . In a preferred embodiment, for example, when the magnetic field is 2 kilogauss, good characteristics can be obtained if 100V<Vg<Va-500V=4500V.

The effects of this invention will be explained with reference to FIG.
The curve shown in FIG. 2 shows an example of the characteristics when the load 24 is a resistor with a resistance value R.

In this embodiment, Vg≦Va, and the horizontal axis in FIG. 2 indicates the negative region of Vg-Va.

First, the potential Vk of the cathode is Vk=Ik・R=(Ig+Ia)・R It is. Therefore, Va−Vk=Va−(Ig+Ia)・R Vg−Vk=Vg−(Ig+Ia)・R It is.

In the region 27 shown in FIG. 2, 0<Va-Vg<<Va-Vk. One of the features here is that no discharge occurs when Vg-Va≧V ₁ , and even when the discharge is maintained at Vg-Va<V ₁ , Vg increases, etc., and Vg-Va=V ₁ . It disappears. Other features in area 27 are:
The ratio of the change in Vg-Va to the change in Ia and the change in Ig is not constant but depends on the value of Vg-Va. Further characteristics in region 27 are that Ia and Ig are
Both are almost unrelated to Vk. Another feature of this region 27 is that when a discharge is occurring, ie, Ia>0, Ig is not negative and Ia>>Ig.

In region 28 in FIG. 2, Vk-Va<V ₃ ≦Vg-Va≦V ₂ . One of the characteristics here is that the ratio of the change in Vg-Va, the change in Ia, and the change in Ig are each approximately constant, and are almost unrelated to the value of Vg-Va. Another feature in this region 28 is that both Ia and Ig are largely independent of Vk. A further feature of this region 28 is that both Ia and Ig are positive and Ia≫Ig.

In the region 29 shown in FIG. 2, Vg-Va≦V ₃ . One of the characteristics here is that the ratio of the change in Vg-Va, the change in Ia, and the change in Ig is not constant, but depends on the value of Vg-Va. Another feature in this region 29 is that Ia and Ig are both related to Vk. In particular, Ig is greatly influenced by Vk, and when Vg=Vk, Ig<0. Vk＜Vg＜Va
In the range of +V ₃ , there is a Vg at which Ig=0. Yet another feature in this region 29 is that Ia>0.

A useful circuit can be constructed by using each region 27, 28, 29 individually as a cold cathode active element, but the present invention does not impose any limitations on the circuit construction. The same applies to a circuit configuration in which the respective regions are combined. The examples described below demonstrate the effects of the present invention.

The power supply 25 applied to the control electrode 9 is a constant voltage source with an output Vg ₀ and a signal source with a voltage amplitude ΔVg connected in series, and when this cold cathode triode is used in the region 28 shown in FIG. do. Obviously, V ₃ ≦ (Vg ₀ − Va) − △Vg ＜ (Vg ₀ − Va) + △Vg ≦
It is _V2 . In the region used, ∂Ia/∂Vg=constant, ∂Ig/∂Vg=constant. Ia and Ig are each the value Ia ₀ at Vg=Vg ₀
and Ig ₀ , and the AC components corresponding to the AC component of Vg are expressed as △Ia and △Ig, △Ia = (∂Ia / ∂Vg)・△Vg △Ig = (∂Ig / ∂Vg)・△Vg It is. It is clear that Ik is given by the sum of Ik ₀ =Ia ₀ +Ig ₀ and △Ik = △Ia + △Ig.

The voltage V _L applied to the load resistor 24 is the sum of a direct current component expressed by V _L0 =RIk ₀ and an alternating current component expressed by ΔV _L =ΔIk·R. Therefore, voltage gain △
V _L /ΔVg is ΔV _L /ΔVg=(∂Ia/∂Vg+Ig/∂Vg)·R. As an example, in the cold cathode triode of the present invention filled with hydrogen gas of 2×10 ^-6 Torr, when the applied magnetic field is 2 kilogauss, Ia/∂Vg+Ig/∂Vg=7.5×10 ^-8 and R=2× Assuming 10 ⁸ Ω, △V _L /△Vg = 15 is obtained. For example, for an input of △Vg = 100 volts, △V _L = 1500V is applied to the load. By improving the insulation, it is easy to increase the voltage gain beyond this embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since Ik>Ia>Ig>0, the power gain is greater than ΔV _L /ΔVg.

Next, a specific structure of an embodiment of the present invention will be shown. In particular, the structure of the electrode part is as shown in Figure 3.
The lead terminals 6 , 7 , 12 are implanted in the stem of the vacuum container 5 housed in the magnet device 8 .
An anode 1 is electrically and mechanically fixed to the lead terminal 7, and cathodes 3 and 4 are electrically and mechanically fixed to the lead terminal 7. In particular, the cathode 3 is formed with an insertion hole 14 through which the linear body of the control electrode 9 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 4, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. This insertion hole 14 is intentionally provided at a position offset from the center of the cylinder axis of the anode 1. The support structure for the lead terminal 12 and the control electrode 9 electrically connected to the lead terminal 12 is shown in FIG.

This FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of the supports 10, 11 fixed to the cathodes 3, 4, and shows the details of the supports 10, 11 fixed to the cathodes 3, 4.
It is an enlarged view of the main part in cross-sectional view. The control electrode 9 made of a metallic wire member that penetrates the hollow part 2 of the anode 1 is
The cathode 3 is inserted into an insertion hole 14 provided in the cathode 3 without contacting the cathode 3. This insertion hole 14 may be cylindrical,
The radius may be determined depending on the desired characteristics, but it is important to ensure that the radius does not become too large and adversely affect the discharge, and that the insertion hole 1 between the control electrode 9 and the cathode 3 does not become too small.
It is important that no current flows in the vicinity of 4. The support 10 includes an insulator 16 having a narrow opening 15 and fixed to the cathode 3, a fastener 17 fixed to the insulator 16, one end of which is moored to the fastener 17, and a continuous wire connected to the other end. It is composed of a spring 19 to which a metal fitting 18 is fixed.

The wire member of the control electrode 9 passes through the narrow opening 15 and is connected to the connecting fitting 18. The spring 19 acts to apply appropriate tension to the wire member 9 to suppress deflection and absorb expansion and contraction of the wire member due to temperature changes. The support 11 is a wire member 9 whose one end is supported by the support 10 .
Insert the cathode 4 into the wire member insertion hole 20 provided in the cathode 4.
It is provided for insertion so that it does not come into contact with the This insertion hole 20 may have the same shape and size as the insertion hole 14 described above. The support body 11 has a narrow opening 2
1 and fixed to the cathode 4;
It consists of a fastener 23 fixed to this insulator 22.

The wire member 9 is inserted through the narrow opening 21 and fixed to the fastener 23. The lead terminal 12 to which the output of the control power source is applied has a conducting wire 30 whose one end is connected to the fastener 23.
the other end is connected.

Next, other embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. 6 and 7 show cross sections taken at the center of the anode of each example. 6th
In the embodiment shown in the figure, an anode 1 having seven cylindrical hollow parts 2 is housed in a container 5 inside a magnet device 8. A control electrode 10 is stretched at a shifted position with a structure similar to that of the previous embodiment. Although the cathode is not shown, it is a single disk having a diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the anode 1, and each is provided with an insertion hole through which the control electrode 9 is inserted. Note that these electrodes are fixed to the stem of the vacuum vessel 5 using lead terminals 6 and 7 in the same structure as described above.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the hollow part 2 of the anode 1 is modified to form a hexagonal column. In particular, by forming the hollow part in the shape of a hexagonal column, the outer diameter of the anode 1 can be reduced. Effective use of magnetic field is possible. By configuring the anode 1 to have a plurality of hollow portions 2 in this manner, it is possible to unify the working gas pressure control device and operate a plurality of active elements. Although an example has been shown in which the hollow portion of the anode is manufactured by drilling a hole in a metal round rod, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be constructed by assembling a single cylindrical tube or a plurality of polygonal tubes.

The operation of this cold cathode triode tube provided with a large number of hollow portions is carried out by configuring a circuit as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, a case will be explained in which three hollow portions 2 of the anode 1 are provided. Anode 1 is DC power supply 27
It is held at the same potential by the voltage from The cathodes 3 and 4 are commonly grounded via a load 24 so as to cover the openings of the respective hollow parts 2a, 2b, and 2c.

Input devices 31a, 31b, 31c are connected to each control electrode 9a, 9b, 9c, respectively. With this configuration, the common load 24 can be controlled by input signals from individual input devices. Moreover, the hollow part 2, the cathode 3,
4. By providing a plurality of unit cells including the control electrode 9, the input device 25, and the load 24, it is possible to control a plurality of loads with a plurality of input signals.

Note that the containers 5 may each have a sealed structure in which electrodes are enclosed and a desired gas atmosphere can be maintained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of this invention, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a curve diagram explaining the operation of the embodiment of this invention.
3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a specific embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG.
The figure is an enlarged view of the main part of the cross section taken along line B-B in FIG. 3, FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views showing other embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1... Anode, 2... Hollow part, 3, 4... Cathode,
5... Vacuum container, 8... Magnetic field generator, 9... Control electrode, 24... Load, 25... Input device, 26
...DC power supply.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical anode having openings at both ends, and a pair of cathodes provided close to both ends of the openings of the anode, wherein a voltage is applied between the anode and the cathode. is applied and a magnetic field is applied in the direction of the cylinder axis of the anode to cause the gas introduced into the cylinder of the anode to be discharged in the air. 1. A cold cathode active element comprising: a control electrode; an input device for applying a control potential to the control electrode; and controlling the discharge to change the current flowing to the anode or cathode. 2. The cold cathode active element according to claim 1, wherein the anode is formed of a cylindrical body. 3. The cold cathode active element according to claim 1, wherein the anode is formed of a polygonal cylindrical body. 4. The cold cathode active device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of discharge parts each comprising an anode, a cathode, and a control electrode are arranged in parallel in the same magnetic field. 5. The cold cathode active element according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of input devices for individually controlling the potential applied to the control electrode. 6. The cold cathode active device according to claim 1, characterized in that the anode and cathode are enclosed and sealed in a container with a desired gas atmosphere. 7. The cold cathode active element according to claim 1, wherein the control electrode is disposed at a position spaced apart from the center of the cylinder axis.