US3242377A - Low voltage discharge tube - Google Patents

Low voltage discharge tube Download PDF

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Publication number
US3242377A
US3242377A US320805A US32080563A US3242377A US 3242377 A US3242377 A US 3242377A US 320805 A US320805 A US 320805A US 32080563 A US32080563 A US 32080563A US 3242377 A US3242377 A US 3242377A
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electrode
discharge tube
electrodes
low voltage
pair
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US320805A
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Charles S Reis
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HP Inc
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Hewlett Packard Co
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Priority to US320805A priority Critical patent/US3242377A/en
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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
    • H01J17/38—Cold-cathode tubes
    • H01J17/40—Cold-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode, e.g. glow tubes, tuning-indicator glow tubes, voltage-stabiliser tubes, voltage-indicator tubes
    • H01J17/44—Cold-cathode tubes with one cathode and one anode, e.g. glow tubes, tuning-indicator glow tubes, voltage-stabiliser tubes, voltage-indicator tubes having one or more control electrodes
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J2893/00—Discharge tubes and lamps
    • H01J2893/0064—Tubes with cold main electrodes (including cold cathodes)
    • H01J2893/0065—Electrode systems
    • H01J2893/0068—Electrode systems electrode assembly with control electrodes, e.g. including a screen

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an improved gas discharge tube which can be turned on and off at high repetition rates using low voltage control signals.
  • FIG- URES 1 and 2 are, respectively a perspective view of the discharge tube of the present invention and a side sectional view of the electrode structure of the discharge tube of FIGURE 1.
  • a pair of semicircular cathode electrodes 9 and 11 are separated by an anode electrode 13 having an aperture 15 therein about in line with the surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11.
  • An auxiliary electrode 17 is attached to electrode 11 and passes through the aperture 15, terminating near the edge 19 of electrode 9.
  • These electrodes are sealed within envelope 21 which is filled with neon gas 23 at a pressure of 35 mm. of mercury.
  • the electrodes 9 and 11 are made of zirconium-nickel alloy and are treated on the upper surfaces thereof with an electron-emissive coating as described in US. patent application entitled Glow Discharge Tubes filed by Charles S. Reis on October 14, 1963.
  • the lower surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11 are treated with an anti-emissive coating consisting of A1 0 or metallic aluminum powder. This aids in confining the glow of ionized gas to the upper surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11.
  • cathode electrode 9 is made sufiiciently negative with respect to anode electrode 13 to initiate conduction in the right portion of the tube.
  • the gas 23 remains ionized in the region of electrodes 9 and 13 as long as the dilference of potential between these electrodes is maintained above the sustaining voltage.
  • This region of ionization is shifted to the other side of electrode 13 by the application to the electrode 11 of a low voltage, say volts, which is negative with respect to electrode 9.
  • the region of ionized gas on the right side of electrode 13 near aperture 15 is influenced by the electric field between electrode 13 and the auxiliary electrode 17 which is connected to electrode 11.
  • the glow discharge is established between electrodes 11 and 13 and is extinguished between electrodes 9 and 13. This is because the greater negative voltage on electrode 11 has the apparent effect of lowering the work function of the material of electrode 11 below that of electrode 9.
  • the tube can be operated as a two-state logic or counting device which cannot be locked out or double triggered.
  • One tube produced according to the present invention was successfully operated between the two operating states at a rate of 500 kilocycles per second using a typical external circuit such as the circuit shown generally as 25. Optical masking of one portion of the tube from the other portion enables the tube to be used as a logic device which provides an indication of its own operating state.
  • a ring counter having a plurality of stable condition and providing indications of its operating states may also be produced according to the present invention by arranging a plurality of circular segments within the tube with an anode disposed between each segment. Each anode has an aperture therein in line with the surface of the segments.
  • An auxiliary electrode on each segment passes through the aperture of an adjacent anode either from the clockwise or counter-clockwise adjacent segment.
  • a gas discharge tube comprising:
  • an anode electrode within said envelope disposed be tween said pair of cathode electrodes
  • said anode electrode having an aperture therein;
  • said auxiliary electrode passing through said aperture and terminating near the other of said pair of cathode electrodes.
  • a gas discharge tube including an envelope having neon gas therein;
  • said third electrode having an aperture therein

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Description

March 22, 1966 c. s. REIS LOW VOLTAGE DISCHARGE TUBE Filed Nov. 1, 1965 FIQ' i SIGNAL SOURCE INVENTOR CHARLES s, REIS BY K ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,242,377 LOW VOLTAGE DISCHARGE TUBE Charles S. Reis, Mountain View, Calif., assignor to Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 320,805 3 Claims. (Ci. SIS-84.6)
This invention relates to an improved gas discharge tube which can be turned on and off at high repetition rates using low voltage control signals.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas discharge tube which can be triggered from one conduction state to another at extremely high repetition rates.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a discharge tube which has no ionization time delay during transitions between conduction states.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from a reading of this specification and an inspection of the accompanying drawing in which FIG- URES 1 and 2 are, respectively a perspective view of the discharge tube of the present invention and a side sectional view of the electrode structure of the discharge tube of FIGURE 1.
The transition times between conduction states of a gas discharge tube are greatly reduced in the instant invention by maintaining continuous ionization and by switching the electrodes between which the ionization is sustained. A pair of semicircular cathode electrodes 9 and 11 are separated by an anode electrode 13 having an aperture 15 therein about in line with the surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11. An auxiliary electrode 17 is attached to electrode 11 and passes through the aperture 15, terminating near the edge 19 of electrode 9. These electrodes are sealed within envelope 21 which is filled with neon gas 23 at a pressure of 35 mm. of mercury. The electrodes 9 and 11 are made of zirconium-nickel alloy and are treated on the upper surfaces thereof with an electron-emissive coating as described in US. patent application entitled Glow Discharge Tubes filed by Charles S. Reis on October 14, 1963. The lower surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11 are treated with an anti-emissive coating consisting of A1 0 or metallic aluminum powder. This aids in confining the glow of ionized gas to the upper surfaces of electrodes 9 and 11.
In operation, cathode electrode 9 is made sufiiciently negative with respect to anode electrode 13 to initiate conduction in the right portion of the tube. The gas 23 remains ionized in the region of electrodes 9 and 13 as long as the dilference of potential between these electrodes is maintained above the sustaining voltage. This region of ionization is shifted to the other side of electrode 13 by the application to the electrode 11 of a low voltage, say volts, which is negative with respect to electrode 9. The region of ionized gas on the right side of electrode 13 near aperture 15 is influenced by the electric field between electrode 13 and the auxiliary electrode 17 which is connected to electrode 11. The glow discharge is established between electrodes 11 and 13 and is extinguished between electrodes 9 and 13. This is because the greater negative voltage on electrode 11 has the apparent effect of lowering the work function of the material of electrode 11 below that of electrode 9. If
the voltage on electrode 11 is now made less negative 6 than the voltage on electrode 9, the glow discharge is shifted from the left portion to the right portion of the tube with glow discharge being maintained continuously in the region about aperture 15 and auxiliary electrode 17. Ionization time is thus eliminated. Also, since only the electrode having the effectively lower work function sustains glow discharge, the tube can be operated as a two-state logic or counting device which cannot be locked out or double triggered. One tube produced according to the present invention was successfully operated between the two operating states at a rate of 500 kilocycles per second using a typical external circuit such as the circuit shown generally as 25. Optical masking of one portion of the tube from the other portion enables the tube to be used as a logic device which provides an indication of its own operating state. A ring counter having a plurality of stable condition and providing indications of its operating states may also be produced according to the present invention by arranging a plurality of circular segments within the tube with an anode disposed between each segment. Each anode has an aperture therein in line with the surface of the segments.
An auxiliary electrode on each segment passes through the aperture of an adjacent anode either from the clockwise or counter-clockwise adjacent segment.
I claim:
1. A gas discharge tube comprising:
an envelope having gas therein;
a pair of cathode electrodes spaced away from each other sealed within said envelope;
an anode electrode within said envelope disposed be tween said pair of cathode electrodes;
said anode electrode having an aperture therein; and
an auxiliary electrode connected to one of said pair of cathode electrodes;
said auxiliary electrode passing through said aperture and terminating near the other of said pair of cathode electrodes.
2. A gas discharge tube as in claim 1 wherein said gas neon.
3. In combination, a gas discharge tube including an envelope having neon gas therein;
a pair of electrodes spaced away from each other sealed within said envelope;
a third electrode within said envelope disposed between said pair of electrodes;
said third electrode having an aperture therein;
an auxiliary electrode connected to one of said pair of electrodes;
said auxiliary electrode passing through said aperture and terminating near the other of said pair of electrodes;
means producing between said third electrode and said one electrode a potential difference higher than the ionization sustaining potential for said gas; and
means connected to the other of said pair of electrodes for applying thereto a potential of one polarity which is higher than the potential on said one electrode.
References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1957 Geisler 3l584.6 X 8/1959 Crowther 3l3-210 X

Claims (1)

1. A GAS DISCHARGE TUBE COMPRISING: AN ENVELOPE HAVING GAS THEREIN; A PAIR OF CATHODE ELECTRODES SPACED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER SEALED WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE; AN ANODE ELECTRODE WITHIN SAID ENVELOPE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF CATHODE ELECTRODES; SAID ANODE ELECTRODE HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN; AND
US320805A 1963-11-01 1963-11-01 Low voltage discharge tube Expired - Lifetime US3242377A (en)

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3634850A (en) * 1970-11-12 1972-01-11 Okaya Electric Industry Co Indicator tube utilizing a plurality of discharge states

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2796557A (en) * 1952-05-22 1957-06-18 Ibm Glow discharge tube
US2900551A (en) * 1954-12-21 1959-08-18 Philips Corp Electric discharge tube

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2796557A (en) * 1952-05-22 1957-06-18 Ibm Glow discharge tube
US2900551A (en) * 1954-12-21 1959-08-18 Philips Corp Electric discharge tube

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3634850A (en) * 1970-11-12 1972-01-11 Okaya Electric Industry Co Indicator tube utilizing a plurality of discharge states

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