Abstract: A pseudospark switch including an insulator which can withstand high temperature plasma and is arranged between both electrodes thereof, thereby being capable of preventing the electrodes from being damaged while allowing a large amount of charge to flow instantaneously. The high power pseudospark switch includes first and second hollow electrodes facing each other, the hollow electrodes being open at facing ends thereof and closed at opposite ends thereof, respectively, an inert gas inlet port provided at the closed end wall of the first hollow electrode, a vacuum pump connecting port provided at the closed end wall of the second hollow electrode, a first electrode arranged at the open end of the first hollow electrode, a second electrode arranged at the open end of the second hollow electrode in such a manner that it faces the first electrode, and an insulator interposed between the first and second electrodes.

Abstract: A cold cathode vacuum discharge tube, and method for making same, with an interior surface of the trigger probe coated with carbon deposited by carbon vapor deposition (CVD) or diamond-like carbon (DLC) deposition. Preferably a solid graphite insert is employed in the probe-cathode structure in place of an aluminum bushing employed in the prior art. The CVD or DLC probe face is laser scribed to allow resistance trimming to match available trigger voltage signals and to reduce electrical aging.

Abstract: This invention provides a discharge tube which is small and easy to manufacture, which prevents the discharge characteristics from being disturbed by a grounded body located nearby, and which makes creeping discharges unlikely to occur and at the same time enhances the degree of freedom in incorporating the discharge tube into devices. The discharge tube of this invention has electrode plates fixed at the ends of the enclosure so that the electrode plates have their discharge electrodes protruding inwardly to face each other. The central portion of one of the electrode plates is bulged outwardly, and the discharge plane of the discharge electrode is located close to a plane including the periphery of the electrode plate.

Abstract: A gas discharge tube of the present invention has an envelope for accommodating an anode for receiving thermoelectrons emitted from a thermionic cathode, a focusing electrode for focusing a path of the thermoelectrons from the thermionic cathode to the anode, and a discharge shielding plate consisting of a material having electrical insulating properties, the anode being arranged in contact with one side of the discharge plate, and the focusing electrode being arranged in contact with the other side of the discharge shielding plate. Since the anode and the focusing electrode are arranged in contact with both the sides of the discharge shielding plate consisting of an insulating material such as a ceramic, the positions of these electrodes are held at high accuracy, and the electrical insulating properties therebetween are maintained even at a high temperature during long-time continuous light emission.

Abstract: A gas discharge closing switch, such as a thyratron, has a one-piece ceramic housing containing an anode, a cathode, and a control electrode. The anode and cathode form fluid-tight seals with opposite ends of the housing. The control electrode is mounted entirely within the housing, and, in one embodiment, is affixed to an interior wall of the housing. The housing preferably supports the anode, the cathode and the control electrode, and maintains electrical isolation between them.

Abstract: A gas discharge closing switch has a high voltage anode structure containing a plurality of surface elements facing substantially toward a cathode and spaced from each other to define gaps therebetween. In a preferred embodiment, a control electrode structure includes a surface defining an aperture corresponding to at least one of the gaps.

Abstract: A gas-filled discharge tube includes a cylindrical casing (11, 31), a terminal member (12, 13; 32, 33) for closing an open end of the casing, an inert gas sealed within the casing, a gas sealing tube (16, 38) connected to an outside of the terminal member, and gas introduction paths (17, 40) formed in the terminal member so as to communicate between an inner space of the gas sealing tube and an inner space of the casing.

Abstract: A discharge tube which assures stabilized discharging, is reduced in overall size and easy to manufacture is disclosed. The discharge tube comprises a cylindrical envelope made of an insulating substance, discharge gas enclosed in the envelope, and a pair of discharge electrodes disposed in an opposing relationship to each other at the opposite ends of the envelope. The the discharge electrodes are formed as parallel plate electrodes wherein faces thereof facing the inside of the envelope extend flat and in parallel to each other. A pair of conductive layers formed on the envelope in an opposing relationship to and electrically connected to the discharge electrodes, and one of the conductive layers is opposed at least part thereof with the other conductive layer with a portion of the envelope interposed therebetween.

Abstract: In a closing switch having a control electrode and a cathode within a gas-filled cavity, the cathode has a distal portion spaced from the control electrode by a distance corresponding to the minimum breakdown voltage of the closing switch. Thus, the cathode is placed such that gas breakdown adjacent the distal portion occurs at a control voltage lower than the voltage required to initiate such breakdown adjacent the portion of the cathode closest to the control electrode.

Abstract: A discharge tube according to the present invention is constructed such that it comprises a cylindrical container made of an insulation tube, a pair of discharge electrodes provided at opposite ends of the cylindrical container, a plurality of insulation coated lines containing a gas-ionization accelerator therein, which insulation coated lines being provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical container covering the regions surrounding a cathode and a discharge space therein in a substantially parallel relation with a center axis of the cylindrical container, wherein the gas-ionization accelerator is made of a silicate powder selected from the group of alkaline metal, alkaline earth metal and so on, or of electrically conductive finely divided particles selected from the group of carbon, metal, metal oxide and so on.

Abstract: An improved gas discharge trigger for a pseudogap cold cathode thyratron. Electrical trigger pulses are capacitively coupled through the vacuum envelope wall (16) causing a gas discharge adjacent to the rear of the hollow cathode (26). Coupling apertures (12) between the trigger discharge region and the hollow cathode allow ionization to propagate into the rear of the hollow cathode and trigger the pseudogap from a non conducting to conducting state.

Abstract: The invention relates to a gas discharge switch with a low-pressure gas discharge segment, which is provided with an anode and at least one main cathode, and arranged in an ionizable working gas. It is provided with a control unit for flow discharge, which contains a cathode. For the working gas, a gas storage with automatic pressure control is provided. According to the invention, the energy of glow discharge is provided as the setting value for regulating the pressure of the working gas. With this module (30), consisting of the cathode (31) for glow discharge with the gas storage (32), the pressure of the working gas, preferably hydrogen, remains at least approximately constant over a long period of time, in a closed system of this so-called pseudo-spark switch.

Abstract: A switch includes a housing forming a cavity, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first electrode has an inner surface having a generally circular cross-section perpendicular to an axis and extending along the cavity in a first direction along the axis, forming a hollow tube. The second electrode has a generally circular cross-section perpendicular to the axis and extending into the cavity in a second direction along the axis. The second electrode extends at least partially into the hollow tube formed by the first electrode.

Abstract: A gas discharge tube having an outer envelope in which deuterium gas is filled. In the envelope, an anode, a cathode and a first shield cover for surrounding these electrodes are disposed. A second shield cover is disposed within the first shield cover and at a position adjacent the anode to divide an internal space defined by the first shield cover into a first chamber in which the anode is positioned and a second chamber in which a cathode is positioned. A plasma arc generating portion is positioned at the second shield cover. A plasma arc generated on the plasma arc generating portion provides an optical axis extending linearly toward the outer envelope through an opening of the first shield cover. The cathode is disposed at a position offset from the optical axis for providing a flow line of electrons from the cathode to the anode in a direction obliquely with respect to the optical axis.

Abstract: In a thyratron gas discharge device, magnetic material is located coaxially with the anode to produce a magnetic field between the anode and cathode which is substantially parallel to a discharge established between them. This causes electrons emitted from the cathode to have longer path lengths than would otherwise be the case and so the ionization density within the device is increased. This improved this operating characteristics of the thyratron and results in greater utilization of the cathode.

Abstract: To protect the quartz of a quartz glass bulb (2) from attack by alkaline earth oxides emitted from electrodes (6) of the lamp, and prevent deterioration of the quartz in use of the lamp with respect to transmission of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, particularly in the short wave length range of 200 nm to 250 nm, boron silicate glass or glass-like aluminum oxide, or a mixture of boron silicate glass and glass-like aluminum oxide is interposed between the quartz bulb (2) and the electrodes. Boron oxide can be applied to the interior of the quartz bulb, and fired thereon to form, for example, a boron silicate glass layer (4) or diffuse into the quartz glass to form a diffusion layer (4') by suitable selection of firing temperatures. Alternatively, an aperture support element (35, 45) can retain a disk of boron silicate glass or glass-like aluminum oxide positioned between the electrodes and the quartz glass bulb.

Abstract: Highly efficient binary and ternary gas mixtures for use in diffuse glow discharge closing switches are disclosed. The binary mixtures are combinations of helium or neon and selected perfluorides. The ternary mixtures are combinations of helium, neon, or argon, a selected perfluoride, and a small amount of gas that exhibits enhanced ionization characteristics. These mixtures are shown to be the optimum choices for use in diffuse glow discharge closing switches by virtue of the combined physio-electric properties of the mixture components.

Abstract: An ink for use in forming resistive structures for use in a gas discharge display panel containing mercury vapor to inhibit cathode sputtering, the ink comprising a mixture of silver and nickel with the nickel being controllably oxidized to impart the desired resistivity to the mixture and the final resistive body in the display panel.

Abstract: A thyratron utilizable as a circuit interrupting protective device is provided. The thyratron includes an apertured grid between anode and cathode which is divided transversely into two parts separated by an insulating layer. Both surfaces of the composite grid remote from the insulating layer carry conductive meshes which meshes cover the exits of the apertures in the composite grid. The thickness of the insulating layer and the dimensions of the meshes are such that no point within an aperture is further from a part of the grid or a mesh than the Debye distance whereby the effects of Debye shielding tend to be reduced when a negative potential is applied between two said parts of said grid to quench a discharge previously initiated by applying positive potential to both parts of the grid.

Abstract: A glow lamp includes electrodes having both elements and oxides formed with a portion of the elements applied thereto to provide a glow lamp which can be used as a switch and which has a relatively low breakdown voltage but a relatively large current-handling capability. The glow lamp is constructed by a method which includes the step of causing relatively large, variable frequency currents to flow between adjacent electrodes for a limited time period to create the combination of elements and oxides on the electrodes.

Abstract: A high voltage linear switch assembly is disclosed that uses a hollow quartz tube as the insulator, and houses the anode, cathode and switch within the insulator tube. The anode and cathode are fixed within the tube on opposite sides so that they do not make physical contact with each other. A chamber filled with either hydrogen or helium and a metal electrode screen act as the switch as follows. By separating the anode from the cathode the gas filled chamber normally acts as an open circuit. When a charge is conducted by the metal electrode screen, the gas in the chamber is ionized and provides a medium to provide electrical contact between the anode and the cathode.