US2523269A - Activated cathode for electron discharge devices - Google Patents

Activated cathode for electron discharge devices Download PDF

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Publication number
US2523269A
US2523269A US630338A US63033845A US2523269A US 2523269 A US2523269 A US 2523269A US 630338 A US630338 A US 630338A US 63033845 A US63033845 A US 63033845A US 2523269 A US2523269 A US 2523269A
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United States
Prior art keywords
cathode
anode
electron discharge
metal
discharge devices
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Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US630338A
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English (en)
Inventor
Back Raymond Richard
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.)
International Standard Electric Corp
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International Standard Electric Corp
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.)
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Publication date
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J9/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture, installation, removal, maintenance of electric discharge tubes, discharge lamps, or parts thereof; Recovery of material from discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J9/02—Manufacture of electrodes or electrode systems
    • H01J9/04—Manufacture of electrodes or electrode systems of thermionic cathodes
    • H01J9/042—Manufacture, activation of the emissive part
    • H01J9/045—Activation of assembled cathode

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to arrangements for activating the cathode in an electron discharge device.
  • the striking voltage at which the discharge commences can be lowered by coating the cathode with a metal having a low work function.
  • a common method of doing this is to vapourise an appropriate metal held in a container (for example by heating the container by means of eddy currents) so that the metal is deposited on the cathode. the container by bombardment in a gaseous atmosphere.
  • the spacing between the anode and cathode is small, there may not be room t accommodate the container in a favourable position for deposition of the coating on the cathode, and in any case if this were possible, the field between the anode and cathode would be unduly influenced by the presence of the container.
  • the principal object of the invention is to overcome these difficulties.
  • the invention provides in an electron discharge device having an anode and a cathode. a method of activating the cathode which comprises perforating the anode, providing means independent of the anode for holding a metal of low work function outside the space between the anode and cathode, and. liberating the metal in such manner as to deposit it through the anode on to the cathode.
  • the invention also provides a method of making an electron discharge device having an anode and a cathode, which includes activating the oath. ode by vapourising a metal of low work function on to the cathode through perforationsin the anode, the metal being held in one or more containers separate from the anode and located outside any electric field capable of being established between the anode and cathode.
  • the invention further provides an electron discharge device comprising an envelope, and contained therein a cylindrical anode arranged coaxially inside a cylindrical cathode, one or more holes in the anode, and one or more corresponding containers arranged inside the anode opposite the holes and adapted to hold metal of a low work function employed for activating the oathode.
  • Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the electrodes of a glow discharge tube (partly cut away to show the details), and Fig. 2 shows part of a radial section through the electrodes.
  • the electrodes of the tube are cylindrical and comprise a cathode I co-axiall surrounding an anode 2 inside the usual bulb or envelope (not shown). Both are mounted by suitable means (not shown) on the stem 3.
  • the anode is perforated by a number of holes 4, and inside the anode behind each of these holes is mounted a container 5 for an appropriate cathode coating metal such as barium.
  • the barium may then be vapourised, for example, by electron bombardment in a gas, and will be deposited through the holes 4 on to the inside surface of the cathode.
  • the containers 5 are substantially screened by the anode from the electric field between the anode and cathode and therefore will not appreciably affect it.
  • the tube shown has cylindrical electrodes, substantiall the same method may be used if the anode and cathode were parallel plates, or were shaped in some other way.
  • the containers would be arranged belirnd the anode so as to direct the vapourised metal on to the cathode through corresponding holes.
  • An electron discharge device that comprises a cylindrical cathode, a cylindrical anode coaxially mounted within said cathode and'provided with apertures, a container mounted adjacent said apertures and separated from the cathode by said anode, said container holdinga metal of low work function capable of being released upon heating of said container.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Electron Sources, Ion Sources (AREA)
US630338A 1943-12-03 1945-11-23 Activated cathode for electron discharge devices Expired - Lifetime US2523269A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB265035X 1943-12-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2523269A true US2523269A (en) 1950-09-26

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ID=10244684

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US630338A Expired - Lifetime US2523269A (en) 1943-12-03 1945-11-23 Activated cathode for electron discharge devices

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US2523269A (d)
BE (1) BE465611A (d)
CH (1) CH265035A (d)
FR (1) FR928803A (d)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2680206A (en) * 1948-07-19 1954-06-01 Sylvania Electric Prod Cold-cathode gas-filled diode
US2834905A (en) * 1956-03-28 1958-05-13 Bendix Aviat Corp Electron discharge device

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1965849A (en) * 1927-07-29 1934-07-10 Mcllvaine Patent Corp Electronic tube
US2121589A (en) * 1934-06-28 1938-06-21 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Emissive incandescent cathode
US2232002A (en) * 1939-01-26 1941-02-18 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Gaseous electric relay device
GB547645A (en) * 1941-09-19 1942-09-04 Philips Nv Improvements in or relating to electric discharge tubes

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1965849A (en) * 1927-07-29 1934-07-10 Mcllvaine Patent Corp Electronic tube
US2121589A (en) * 1934-06-28 1938-06-21 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Emissive incandescent cathode
US2232002A (en) * 1939-01-26 1941-02-18 Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co Gaseous electric relay device
GB547645A (en) * 1941-09-19 1942-09-04 Philips Nv Improvements in or relating to electric discharge tubes

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2680206A (en) * 1948-07-19 1954-06-01 Sylvania Electric Prod Cold-cathode gas-filled diode
US2834905A (en) * 1956-03-28 1958-05-13 Bendix Aviat Corp Electron discharge device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE465611A (d)
FR928803A (fr) 1947-12-09
CH265035A (fr) 1949-11-15

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