SYSTEM FOR PLASMA IGNITION BY FAST VOLTAGE RISE

摘要

An improved system of igniting a plasma (3) can act by using a rapid voltage rise and thus cause ions (12) which may be pre-existing to create secondary electron emission or the like. In one embodiment, the voltage rise can be timed to be comparable to the transit time of the electrons across the plasma. It can also be arranged to achieve a voltage rise in less than 1000 microseconds, to result in a transition time which is less than one hundred times the transit time, to maximize the emission of secondary electrons, or even to merely result in collision energies ranging from 5 to 500 electron volts. The transition time can be controlled through an ignition control (9) which may be programmable, may involve charging output storage devices, or may involve delayed switching to supply the increased voltage to the plasma after the storage elements have been more fully charged.