US3422307A - Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode - Google Patents

Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode Download PDF

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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
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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
Application number
US579083A
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English (en)
Inventor
Philippe Langer
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.)
Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives CEA
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Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA
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
Application filed by Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA filed Critical Commissariat a lEnergie Atomique CEA
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Publication of US3422307A publication Critical patent/US3422307A/en
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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
    • 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)
US579083A 1965-09-16 1966-09-13 Electric arc device with a photoelectric starting electrode Expired - Lifetime US3422307A (en)

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 (xx)
BE (1) BE685595A (xx)
CH (1) CH461633A (xx)
DE (1) DE1488890A1 (xx)
ES (1) ES331155A1 (xx)
FR (1) FR1456884A (xx)
GB (1) GB1148194A (xx)
IL (1) IL26413A (xx)
LU (1) LU51948A1 (xx)
NL (1) NL6612059A (xx)
SE (1) SE304787B (xx)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
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
SE304787B (xx) 1968-10-07
NL6612059A (xx) 1967-03-17
BE685595A (xx) 1967-02-01
IL26413A (en) 1970-06-17
GB1148194A (en) 1969-04-10
DE1488890B2 (xx) 1970-12-23
LU51948A1 (xx) 1966-11-14
FR1456884A (fr) 1966-07-08
DE1488890A1 (de) 1969-10-02
CH461633A (fr) 1968-08-31
ES331155A1 (es) 1967-07-01

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