Study of the Parameters of the Electrode Surface Conditioning Process in a Multi-Mode Experimental Setup

The technique of cathode surface conditioning with subnanosecond pulses has shown its potential. However, the setup used during technique testing had insufficient service life and pulse repetition rate. In addition, measuring the cathode emission characteristics and the vacuum gap breakdown voltage required its transfer to another setup. The transfer inevitably affected the purity of the surface of the cathode under consideration. To eliminate these factors, a complex setup was created. The new setup incorporated controlled erosion of the cathode sample, sample conditioning and monitoring of their parameters without changing the vacuum conditions within the experimental chamber. The present study was carried out to search for limitations and optimal parameters of the conditioning process for a conditioning pulse duration of 800 ps.