VACUUM SPARK SOFT X-RAY SOURCE

摘要

The vacuum spark is an intense soft X-ray source that is studied as a soft X-ray source for the use in soft X-ray detectors calibration device. Spectra between 0.1 and 4.4 nm are reported in the literature. The discharge develops in the vapors of the anode material, thus the emission spectrum can be controlled. The duration of the emission is of tens to hundreds of ns. The reported emitted energies range between 1 mJ and 1 J per pulse. The radial dimension of the emitting zone is about 2mm. A vacuum spark soft X-ray source is under development. The electrical parameters of the discharge circuit are: applied voltage 10 kV (up to 15 kV), stored energy 0.625 kJ (1.4 kJ respectively); the discharge current maximum value 80 kA and current rise time about 2.1 μs. A rather special trigger circuit is proposed, namely a magnetic pulse compression circuit. The applied voltage on the trigger electrode is 15 kV, the energy delivered to the load is 20 J, the maximum short-circuit current is above 10 kA (up to 15 kA), and the current rise-time is of several hundreds of ns. The trigger circuit can be operated in a repetitive way. The electrodes of the vacuum spark are mounted on the existing alectrode geometry of a plasma focus device. The anode is made of aluminum. The distance between the discahrge electrodes can be adjusted above 3 mm.