US2103031A - Electric gaseous discharge device - Google Patents

Electric gaseous discharge device Download PDF

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Publication number
US2103031A
US2103031A US5670A US567035A US2103031A US 2103031 A US2103031 A US 2103031A US 5670 A US5670 A US 5670A US 567035 A US567035 A US 567035A US 2103031 A US2103031 A US 2103031A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cathode
anode
discharge
gaseous discharge
discharge device
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US5670A
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English (en)
Inventor
Ted E Foulke
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
General Electric Vapor Lamp Co
Original Assignee
General Electric Vapor Lamp Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by General Electric Vapor Lamp Co filed Critical General Electric Vapor Lamp Co
Priority to US5670A priority Critical patent/US2103031A/en
Priority to GB3808/36A priority patent/GB446734A/en
Priority to DEI54279D priority patent/DE683706C/de
Priority to FR801749D priority patent/FR801749A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US2103031A publication Critical patent/US2103031A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/02—Details
    • H01J17/04—Electrodes; Screens
    • H01J17/06—Cathodes
    • H01J17/066—Cold cathodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to electric gaseous discharge devices, and particularly to discharge devices of the cathode glow type.
  • a particular object of the invention is to provide a cathode glow device having extremely constant electrical characteristics. Another object of the invention is to provide a cathode glow device which may be produced in quantity without any appreciable variation in the electrical characteristics of the individual devices. Still other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed specification, or from an inspection of the accompanying drawing.
  • Electric gaseous discharge devices of the cathode glow type have many characteristics which especially adapt them to use as voltage regulators and oscillators. For these particular uses, however, and particularly Where the device is to be used as an oscillator for electrical musical instruments and the like, or in testing devices, it is absolutely essential that the electrical constants should be stable'in operation throughout the life of the device. It 'isalso essential that these characteristics should be reproducible, so that mass production may be achieved without the necessity of large circuit adjustments to compensate for variations in these characteristics. Up to the present time no device has been available which completely met these requirements. Thus when attempts were made to use various cathode glow devices as an oscillator for an electrical organ it was found that the pitch of the note produced wavered and varied in a manner which completely ruined the musical effect. In addition it was difficult to obtain any two devices which might be interchanged without major changes in the circuit, due to the diificulty of reproducing these devices.
  • the cathode is made in the form of a tubular sleeve which is positioned about the anode, with a Vshaped indentation which aproaches said anode.
  • Thiscathode "is activated on the inner surface with a substance erably volatilized within the device in order to produce and maintain the desired gas purity.
  • FIG. 1 is an elevational view, in part cut away
  • my novel device has a sealed envelope I of glass or any other suitable material with a reentrant stem 2 through which are sealed the inleads 3 and 4.
  • a tubular anode 5 is welded to the inner end of the inlead 3, said anode being adapted to retain a piece of magnesium 6, as shown in Fig. 3, which is volatilized during the manufacture of the lamp.
  • This anode is conveniently made of nickel plated iron, since it has been found that such an. electrode is not only easily heated by a high frequency field but is also easily freed of any oxide coating.
  • the inlead 4 is weldedto a support wire 1 which is in turn Welded to the cathode 8.
  • Said cathode is preferably formed of sheet nickel which is bent and welded to form a cylinder with a v-shaped indentation in one side thereof.
  • this cylinder has been made one fourth inch in length and the same in diameter, and the V-shaped indentation has been formed with legs approximately three sixteenths of an inch in length and with approximately a right angle therebetween.
  • the apex of this V is carefully located with respect to the anode 5, a gap of the order of 0.5 to 1.0 m. in. being left therebetween in practice.
  • the entire inside surface of said cylinder is preferably coated with a substance having a low work function, such as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,965,589, granted July 10, 1934, while the outer surface of said cylinder is preferably coated with finely divided aluminum, since this coating prevents the creeping of the glow onto this exterior surface, as disclosed in my Patent No. 1,965,586,
  • the envelope l is filled with a suitable gaseous atmosphere, such as one or more of the rare gases.
  • a suitable gaseous atmosphere such as one or more of the rare gases.
  • a suitable gaseous atmosphere such as one or more of the rare gases.
  • a mixture of neon with approximately 0.4% argon at a pressure of the order of 30 m. m. of mercury since this mixture and pressure have been found to give an exceptionally good stability to the electrical characteristics of the device, and also to give a low breakdown potential.
  • This increase in stability is partly due to the fact that this gas mixture operates in a unique manner to permit the uniform activation of the entire cathode sur- 7 face, so that the cathode glow will spread evenly thereover. This in turn results in the smooth operation of the device with variation in current, without the sudden and erratic changes which would occur if the cathode were not thus uniformly conditioned.
  • the electrode structure is assembled as shown and the cathode coated on the inner surface with a mixture of the carbonates of barium and strontium while the outer surface is coatedwith powdered aluminum, a suitable binder, such as nitrocellulose, being used where desired.
  • This assembly is then sealed into the envelope I and the envelope exhausted withinan oven.
  • the metal parts of the electrode assembly are then heated by means of an induction furnace to degas them and the cathode 8 is thenfurther heated-to a temperature suflicient'to reduce the binder and The i also to reduce the carbonates to the oxides. anode 5 is also heated during this process, but due.
  • the magnesium 6 is not volatilized untilrafter the other gas evolving operations are virtually completed.
  • the volatilized magnesium then condenses over the inner surface of the envelope I and thus has-an extended surface which is extremely effective in cl'eaningi' up oxygen and any other gaseous impurities which are evolved during the subsequent treat ment and operation of the device.
  • An electric gaseous discharge device comprising a sealed envelope containing a gaseous atmosphere, and an anodeand a cathode within said envelope, said cathode being in the form of a cylinder surrounding :said anode with a V'- shaped indentation therein whose apex is closer to said anode than the remainder'of said cylinder, the inner surface of said cylinder being coated with a substance'having a low work function.
  • An electric gaseousdischarge device comprising a sealed envelope containing a gaseous atmosphere, an anode and a cathode within said envelope, said cathodebeing in the form of a cylinder surrounding said anode with a V-shaped indentation extending closer to said anode than the remainder of said cylinder, a coating "of a substance having a low work functionon the inner surface of said cylinder, and an extended area of a reducing agent within said envelope.
  • An electric gaseous discharge device comprising a sealed envelope containing a mixture of neon with a small quantity of argon at a pressureof the order of 30 m. m. of mercury, and-an anode and a cathode within said envelope, said cathode being in the form of a sleeve surrounding saidfanode witha V-shaped indentation therein whose apex approaches said anode.

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  • Discharge Lamp (AREA)
  • Lasers (AREA)
US5670A 1935-02-08 1935-02-08 Electric gaseous discharge device Expired - Lifetime US2103031A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US5670A US2103031A (en) 1935-02-08 1935-02-08 Electric gaseous discharge device
GB3808/36A GB446734A (en) 1935-02-08 1936-02-07 Improvements in the construction of electrodes for electric discharge devices
DEI54279D DE683706C (de) 1935-02-08 1936-02-08 Glimmentladungsroehre, insbesondere fuer elektroakustische Zwecke
FR801749D FR801749A (fr) 1935-02-08 1936-02-08 Perfectionnements apportés aux tubes à décharge

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US5670A US2103031A (en) 1935-02-08 1935-02-08 Electric gaseous discharge device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2103031A true US2103031A (en) 1937-12-21

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ID=21717090

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US5670A Expired - Lifetime US2103031A (en) 1935-02-08 1935-02-08 Electric gaseous discharge device

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US2103031A (fr)
DE (1) DE683706C (fr)
FR (1) FR801749A (fr)
GB (1) GB446734A (fr)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2556254A (en) * 1947-05-15 1951-06-12 Rca Corp Voltage reference tube
US2666880A (en) * 1950-06-16 1954-01-19 Raytheon Mfg Co Gaseous-discharge device
US2843781A (en) * 1954-11-01 1958-07-15 Sylvania Electric Prod Sublimation reducing cathode connector
US2896104A (en) * 1954-06-11 1959-07-21 Sedlacek Franz Lightning arrester
US4876443A (en) * 1987-05-13 1989-10-24 Gte Sylvania Licht Gmbh Photocell, having inclined plate cathode

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2556254A (en) * 1947-05-15 1951-06-12 Rca Corp Voltage reference tube
US2666880A (en) * 1950-06-16 1954-01-19 Raytheon Mfg Co Gaseous-discharge device
US2896104A (en) * 1954-06-11 1959-07-21 Sedlacek Franz Lightning arrester
US2843781A (en) * 1954-11-01 1958-07-15 Sylvania Electric Prod Sublimation reducing cathode connector
US4876443A (en) * 1987-05-13 1989-10-24 Gte Sylvania Licht Gmbh Photocell, having inclined plate cathode

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE683706C (de) 1939-11-13
FR801749A (fr) 1936-08-14
GB446734A (en) 1936-05-05

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