METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SELF-HEATED HOLLOW CATHODE FROM TITANIUM NITRIDE FOR PLASMA GENERATION SYSTEMS Russian patent published in 2017 - IPC H05H1/24 H01J9/02 

FIELD: electricity.

SUBSTANCE: method of manufacturing a self-heated hollow cathode from titanium nitride for plasma generation systems includes forming a tubular article from the mixture of powders containing titanium nitride, 10% by weight of titanium, not more than 2% by weight of polyvinyl butyral plasticiser, by pulsed or static pressing, extrusion, slip casting or by an alternative method, annealing the tubular article in a vacuum oven in the nitrogen stream at the pressure of 1 Pa at the temperature of 500°C for 1 hour for thermal decomposition of the plasticiser and removal of the decomposition products from the tubular article volume, mounting the tubular article as a cathode electrode into the electric discharge system containing an anode electrode, continuously pumping nitrogen through the tubular article, applying voltage between the anode and the tubular article and the ignition of the glow discharge between the tubular article and the anode, the current of which is gradually increased in the process of the arcing ceasing, which ensures the removal of surface contamination and the temperature rise of the tubular article, the discharge transition to the thermionic arc mode and heating the cathode to the temperature of 2000°C.

EFFECT: holding the formed tubular article in the plasma of its own discharge as a cathode electrode, while operating in the thermionic arc mode, provides its solid-phase sintering and forming a self-adhesive hollow cathode made of titanium nitride with the high density, the thermoemission properties and the increased service life.

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