A self-heated hollow cathode made of compacted TiN powder: the preparation method and test results

Abstract

A method for the formation of a tubular hollow self-heated cathode using magnetic-pulse pressing of a mixture of TiN (90%) and Ti (10%) powders with subsequent annealing and sintering during operation of the compact as a cathode in a high-current (5–45 А) discharge at temperatures of 2000–2200°C is described. Massive tubular cathodes with a 2.5-mm-thick wall and a large (up to 12 mm) inner diameter were manufactured. The erosion rate of a TiN cathode was 2.3 × 10^–7 g/C for the operation in an Ar/N₂ mixture and increased by a factor of 1.6 in the oxygen–argon plasma generation mode with separate feeding of gases.