Experimental study of the plasma cathode electron gun

The high-power microwave devices with plasma-filled have been unique properties. One of the major problems associated with plasma-filled microwave sources is that ions from the plasma drift toward the gun regions of the tube. This bombardment is particularly dangerous for the gun,where high-energy ion impacts can damage The cathode surface and degrade its electron emission capabilities. One of the techniques investigated to mitigate this issue is to replace the material cathode with plasma cathode. A unique plasma cathode electron gun are investigated in detail experimentally in this paper. The PCE-gun has been operated at pulser voltage up to 8KV,discharge current up to 166A,and pulse lengths of up to 60mus.