Next generation high-current switching devices, based on Cs-Ba plasma.

In this talk we discuss the research into plasma's electro kinetic parameters of Knudsen high-current diode and triode switching devices. It was found that the phenomenon of spontaneous current breakage has a big influence on the efficiency of discharge quenching. Unique regimes for grid discharge quenching were attained: the increase in the modulated power is accompanied by the decrease in the power consumption. Unprecedented energy parameters were obtained: stable frequency modulation in the range from 1 to10 kHz, an anode potential of 50 V, the electric power density of 5 kW/cm$^{\mathrm{2\thinspace }}$and the efficiency more than 95{\%}. Experiments with the grid-less modulator based on the thermionic diode demonstrate the following results: The current modulation is formed as result of plasma structure generation in the electrode gap without applying any external forces. The experiments on the Cs-Ba Knudsen diode demonstrate the feasibility of creating a full current modulation at an ignition voltage of 5\textellipsis 6~V and a discharge current density of \textasciitilde 10 A/cm$^{\mathrm{2}}$. At a gap of 0.2\textellipsis 2 mm, a stable current and voltage modulation of 5\textellipsis 20~kHz frequency exists in a Cs-pressure range from 1.5\textbullet 10$^{\mathrm{-3}}$ to 3.5\textbullet 10$^{\mathrm{-3}}$Torr. The possibility of the modulation process control via additional external forces was discovered.