| 摘要 |
A pair of electrodes are biased to produce an electrostatic discharge while placing a thin non electron absorbing gas layer near one or both of the electrodes which are used to develop the electric field. As a result, atmospheric oxygen, water vapor and other contaminants are removed from the regions surrounding the electrodes, allowing ionization to occur more easily. This is accomplished with an electrode structure including a hollow tube for receiving a gas, a plurality of apertures extending through the hollow tube for delivering the gas to the surface of the hollow tube, and the application of a biasing voltage for producing an electrostatic discharge in the presence of the gas. The tube can take the form of a longitudinally extending structure, or a hollow shell, depending upon the configuration of the electrostatic charging apparatus with which the electrode structure is used. |
