DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SHORT-WAVE RADIATION FROM GAS- DISCHARGE PLASMA Russian patent published in 2005 - IPC

FIELD: producing short-wave radiation from gas-discharge plasma.

SUBSTANCE: improvements introduced in proposed device include ducts made in grounded electrode to connect peripheral part of gap separating high-voltage and grounded electrodes with vacuum chamber and axial hole made in initiating electrode of creepage generating system that communicates on one end with discharge region via through hole of high-voltage electrode, and on other end it holds igniter electrode; insulating layer is disposed on inner surface of initiating-electrode axial hole. High-voltage and grounded electrodes are separated from one another by gap in beyond-axis area. Device can be provided with additional identical discharge chambers, all of them being mounted on rotary shaft and equally spaced apart from axis of revolution; creepage generating system is mounted at same distance from shaft axis of revolution as chambers. Improvements introduced in proposed method include creepage ignition inside initiating electrode, and near-axis part of discharge region is pre-ionized wherein pulsed pre-discharge is then initiated between high-voltage and grounded electrodes; current-plasma shell is generated due to skin effect in beyond-axis part of discharge region on periphery of the latter confined within gap between high-voltage and grounded electrodes; in the process gas is evacuated from peripheral part of gap between high-voltage and grounded electrodes. This method is also characterized in that one of pinch-type discharges is sequentially initiated at repetition frequency in each of n discharge chambers at speed v of shaft mounting discharge chambers. Proposed method and device provide for raising mean power of short-wave hot-plasma radiation at its reduced size and enhanced brightness.

EFFECT: enlarged lifetime of source and enhanced efficiency of discharge-injected electrical energy conversion into short-wave radiation energy at its high stability from pulse to pulse.

7 cl, 3 dwg