A vacuum diode for the two-sided electron irradiation of objects

摘要

A vacuum diode for the two-sided electron irradiation of objects makes it possible to reduce the irradiation nonuniformity and increase the thickness of the irradiated layer of the object with a uniform distribution of the absorbed dose over the layer thickness. The cathode holder of the diode is constructed in the form of two symmetrical arms connected to a common current lead. Two cathodes are attached to the arms' ends opposite each other. The electron beam is extracted to the atmosphere through two windows-anodes positioned across from one another. The vacuum diode with metal-dielectric cathodes was tested on a YPT-0.5 nanosecond electron accelerator (the electron energy is ～0.5 MeV and the output beam power is ～1 kW). The results obtained have shown that the diode ensures the two-sided irradiation of objects. Depending on the irradiated surface, the irradiation conditions can be varied by changing the cathode-anode distance in one of the arms of the diode.