Multicapillary cathode controlled by a ferroelectric plasma source

We present results of high-current microsecond and sub-microsecond duration electron beam generation in a similar to 200 kV diode with a multicapillary dielectric cathode (MCDC) assisted by a ferroelectric plasma source (FPS). Electron beam current densities are achieved up to 40A/cm(2). It was shown that the operation of the MCDC is determined by the parameters of the plasma flow generated by the FPS. Also, it was found that the high resistivity of the plasma produced inside the capillaries allows effective de-coupling of individual capillary plasma discharges which results in uniform electron beam generation. Copyright (c) EPLA, 2008.