US3422307A - Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode - Google Patents
Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3422307A US3422307A US579083A US3422307DA US3422307A US 3422307 A US3422307 A US 3422307A US 579083 A US579083 A US 579083A US 3422307D A US3422307D A US 3422307DA US 3422307 A US3422307 A US 3422307A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- photocathode
- laser
- electric arc
- electrode
- electrodes
- 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
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J40/00—Photoelectric discharge tubes not involving the ionisation of a gas
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
- H03K3/00—Circuits for generating electric pulses; Monostable, bistable or multistable circuits
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
- H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
- H03K3/00—Circuits for generating electric pulses; Monostable, bistable or multistable circuits
- H03K3/02—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses
- H03K3/53—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal and not incorporating positive feedback
- H03K3/537—Generators characterised by the type of circuit or by the means used for producing pulses by the use of an energy-accumulating element discharged through the load by a switching device controlled by an external signal and not incorporating positive feedback the switching device being a spark gap
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J2893/00—Discharge tubes and lamps
- H01J2893/0059—Arc discharge tubes
Definitions
- the present invention is concerned with a method of striking an electric are for generating very short highvoltage pulses and a device for the practical application of said method.
- the present invention is directed to a method and device which now make it possible to produce pulses having both a very short duration and a high voltage.
- this invention is concerned with a method of striking an electric arc with a view to generating very short high-voltage pulses whereby an arc is produced between a first electrode which is connected to a high voltage supply and a second electrode which is connected to the load circuit, said method being essentially characterized in that an electron beam is directed in the vicinity of two electrodes which are placed in a vacuum enclosure and between which is applied a voltage of slightly lower value than the inter-electrode voltage which corresponds to the arc discharge.
- said electron beam is generated by the impact of a light beam on a photocathode, for example by the impact of all or a part of a laser beam.
- the present invention also relates to a device for the practical operation of the method as applicable to a spark gap constituted by a first electrode which is connected to a high voltage supply and by a second electrode which is connected to the load circuit, said device being essentially characterized in that it comprises a laser, a vacuum enclosure containing said spark gap, one of the walls of said enclosure being constituted by a photocathode which is located in the path of the light beam of said laser and which generates an electron beam from said light beam, and means housed in said enclosure and adapted to focus said electron beam between the spark gap electrodes.
- said device additionally comprises a thin semi-reflecting plate which is interposed between the laser and the photocathode and so oriented that said photocathode receives only that portion of the light beam of the laser which is reflected by said plate.
- the aforesaid device which makes it possible to produce a very short pulse of high voltage, is applied to a spark gap constituted by an anode 12 and a cathode 13.
- the anode 12 is connected by means of the central conductor 14 of a section of coaxial cable in which the outer conductor 15 is connected to ground, and also through a resistor 16, to the output of a high-tension generator 17.
- the cathode 13 is connected through the central conductor 18 of a second section of coaxial cable to a load circuit 19 to which it is desired to apply a pulse which has both a small length and high voltage.
- the device in accordance with the invention is made up as follows:
- a laser 1 which generates a light beam 2; a glass plate 3 for reflecting a fraction 4 of said light beam which passes through two lenses 5 and 6, then impinges on a photocathode 7 which constitutes one of the walls of a vacuum enclosure 8 containing the spark gap and two electrodes 9 and 10 for focussing the electrode beam 11 'which emerges from the photocathode 7.
- the device according to the invention which makes it possible to solve this problem operates in the following manner: the voltage between the spark gap electrodes is first of all set at a threshold V, which is slightly lower than V.
- V the threshold
- the electron beam which is produced by the photocathode 7 under the action of the incident light beam 4 and focussed between the electrodes 12 and 13 produces an instantaneous supply of electrons at the level of the anode 12.
- An instantaneous current of .a few hundred ,uA is suflicient to trigger the spark gap and to generate within the conductor 18 the desired pulse which is both very short and of high voltage.
- the photocathode 7 is formed of deposits which have good spectral sensitivity in the red or infrared regions. If a photocathode of substantial thickness is employed which is capable of producing in pulses of 1 as. an
- the pulses obtained can serve in particular to release the shutter of an electronic camera for the purpose, for example, of taking photographs of plasma bursts generated by the impact on a target of the non-reflected portion 20 of the laser beam.
- a device for striking an electric arc across a spark gap for generating very short high-voltage pulses comprising a first electrode connected to a high-voltage supply, a second electrode connected to a load circuit, a laser, a vacuum enclosure containing said electrodes, a photocathode in the wall of said enclosure in the path of the light beam of said laser, said photocathode generating an electrode beam from said light beam means in said'en closure for focusing said electron beam between said electron beam from said light beam, means in said entween said laser and said photocathode and reflecting a portion of the light beam of said laser onto said photocathode.
Landscapes
- Electron Sources, Ion Sources (AREA)
- Lasers (AREA)
- Plasma Technology (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR31565A FR1456884A (fr) | 1965-09-16 | 1965-09-16 | Procédé d'obtention d'impulsions de tension élevée et dispositif en comportant application |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3422307A true US3422307A (en) | 1969-01-14 |
Family
ID=8588438
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US579083A Expired - Lifetime US3422307A (en) | 1965-09-16 | 1966-09-13 | Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode |
Country Status (11)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US3422307A (de) |
BE (1) | BE685595A (de) |
CH (1) | CH461633A (de) |
DE (1) | DE1488890A1 (de) |
ES (1) | ES331155A1 (de) |
FR (1) | FR1456884A (de) |
GB (1) | GB1148194A (de) |
IL (1) | IL26413A (de) |
LU (1) | LU51948A1 (de) |
NL (1) | NL6612059A (de) |
SE (1) | SE304787B (de) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4063130A (en) * | 1976-02-04 | 1977-12-13 | Hunter Robert O Jr | Low impedance electron-beam controlled discharge switching system |
US4246513A (en) * | 1978-01-26 | 1981-01-20 | Eastman Kodak Company | Flash lamp discharge using radiant energy |
US4267803A (en) * | 1979-06-14 | 1981-05-19 | Richard A. Formato | Discharge device ignition system |
US4351308A (en) * | 1978-12-07 | 1982-09-28 | Esref Halilovic | Photoactive ionization high-tension pulsator of carburetor motor ignition system |
US6075029A (en) * | 1998-01-02 | 2000-06-13 | Cell Therapeutics, Inc. | Xanthine modulators of metabolism of cellular P-450 |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3519328A (en) * | 1967-11-20 | 1970-07-07 | Atomic Energy Commission | Short duration optical shutter |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2732514A (en) * | 1956-01-24 | henderson | ||
US3141111A (en) * | 1961-06-22 | 1964-07-14 | Terry F Godlove | Spark gap trigger circuit |
US3295011A (en) * | 1963-10-28 | 1966-12-27 | Comp Generale Electricite | Triggering device for spark-gap comprising a laser and destructible shield |
US3294970A (en) * | 1961-10-26 | 1966-12-27 | Jenckel Ludolf | Means comprising a source of coherent radiant energy for the production of ions for mass spectrometry |
-
1965
- 1965-09-16 FR FR31565A patent/FR1456884A/fr not_active Expired
-
1966
- 1966-08-17 BE BE685595D patent/BE685595A/xx unknown
- 1966-08-26 NL NL6612059A patent/NL6612059A/xx unknown
- 1966-08-30 IL IL26413A patent/IL26413A/xx unknown
- 1966-08-30 CH CH1251666A patent/CH461633A/fr unknown
- 1966-09-09 GB GB40433/66A patent/GB1148194A/en not_active Expired
- 1966-09-13 US US579083A patent/US3422307A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1966-09-13 ES ES0331155A patent/ES331155A1/es not_active Expired
- 1966-09-13 LU LU51948A patent/LU51948A1/xx unknown
- 1966-09-14 DE DE19661488890 patent/DE1488890A1/de active Pending
- 1966-09-16 SE SE12487/66A patent/SE304787B/xx unknown
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2732514A (en) * | 1956-01-24 | henderson | ||
US3141111A (en) * | 1961-06-22 | 1964-07-14 | Terry F Godlove | Spark gap trigger circuit |
US3294970A (en) * | 1961-10-26 | 1966-12-27 | Jenckel Ludolf | Means comprising a source of coherent radiant energy for the production of ions for mass spectrometry |
US3295011A (en) * | 1963-10-28 | 1966-12-27 | Comp Generale Electricite | Triggering device for spark-gap comprising a laser and destructible shield |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4063130A (en) * | 1976-02-04 | 1977-12-13 | Hunter Robert O Jr | Low impedance electron-beam controlled discharge switching system |
US4246513A (en) * | 1978-01-26 | 1981-01-20 | Eastman Kodak Company | Flash lamp discharge using radiant energy |
US4351308A (en) * | 1978-12-07 | 1982-09-28 | Esref Halilovic | Photoactive ionization high-tension pulsator of carburetor motor ignition system |
US4267803A (en) * | 1979-06-14 | 1981-05-19 | Richard A. Formato | Discharge device ignition system |
US6075029A (en) * | 1998-01-02 | 2000-06-13 | Cell Therapeutics, Inc. | Xanthine modulators of metabolism of cellular P-450 |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR1456884A (fr) | 1966-07-08 |
LU51948A1 (de) | 1966-11-14 |
ES331155A1 (es) | 1967-07-01 |
CH461633A (fr) | 1968-08-31 |
SE304787B (de) | 1968-10-07 |
BE685595A (de) | 1967-02-01 |
NL6612059A (de) | 1967-03-17 |
DE1488890B2 (de) | 1970-12-23 |
DE1488890A1 (de) | 1969-10-02 |
GB1148194A (en) | 1969-04-10 |
IL26413A (en) | 1970-06-17 |
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