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US 11,937,361 B1Granted
Annular hollow cathode
AssigneeThe Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsMichael McDonald, Marcel Georgin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cathode emitter assembly includes a cathode tube having a gas feed portion and a plasma outflow portion; an outer annular cathode insert in the plasma outflow portion of the cathode tube; an inner cathode insert in the plasma outflow section of the cathode tube; and an annular plasma emission portion defined between an inner surface of the outer annular cathode insert and an outer surface of the inner cathode insert.
Claims20
A cathode emitter assembly including:
- a cathode tube having a gas feed portion configured to receive a gas and a plasma outflow portion configured to discharge plasma;
- at least one cathode insert in the plasma outflow portion of the cathode tube;
- and
- at least one plasma emission channel extending about the at least one cathode insert within the cathode tube;
- wherein the cathode emitter assembly is configured to form the plasma within the at least one plasma emission channel such that gas enters a first end of the at least one plasma emission channel and plasma exits a second end of the at least one plasma emission channel.
2 more elements
A method of generating plasma in a cathode emitter assembly including:
- a cathode tube having a gas feed portion configured to receive a gas and a plasma outflow portion configured to discharge plasma, at least one cathode insert in the plasma outflow portion of the cathode tube, and at least one plasma emission channel extending about the at least one cathode insert within the cathode tube, the method comprising:
- feeding gas into the gas feed portion of the cathode tube;
- emitting an electric current from the cathode tube;
- generating plasma within the at least one plasma emission channel;
- and
- discharging the plasma from the at least one plasma emission channel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.