Constant current pulsed power supply for long pulse arc discharge positive hydrogen ion source

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• High-density hydrogen plasmas are crucial for various applications.
• Arc-based methods offer a simple route to plasma generation.
• Pulsed power supplies are essential for controlling plasma characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a novel constant current pulsed power supply for arc-based hydrogen plasma generation.
• To characterize the performance of the pulsed power supply in terms of current, voltage, and pulse width.
• To investigate the relationship between arc current, arc impedance, and positive hydrogen ion current.

Main Methods:

• Development of a pulsed power supply utilizing a high-frequency buck converter and nonlinear filter inductor.
• Testing the power supply at 50 A and 550 V with a 2 ms pulse width and 2 Hz repetition rate.
• Measurement of arc impedance and positive hydrogen ion current by varying arc current.
• Utilizing a three-electrode extraction system for positive hydrogen ion extraction.

Main Results:

• The developed pulsed power supply successfully generated constant current pulses.
• Arc impedance and positive hydrogen ion current were measured and correlated with arc current.
• A positive hydrogen ion current of 80 mA was achieved at an energy of 50 keV.

Conclusions:

• The developed pulsed power supply is effective for generating high-density hydrogen plasmas.
• The system enables controlled extraction of positive hydrogen ions.
• This technology holds promise for applications requiring high-intensity ion beams.