TIC rectifier with output voltage phase control. I. Cesium thyratron with a low direct potential drop

The results of investigation of the ignition voltage for a low-voltage cesium arc and direct voltage drops in the discharge in cesium triodes with fine-mesh (∼0.2 mm) and coarse-mesh (∼2 mm) control grids are presented. It is shown that in a cesium vapor pressure range of 0.05–0.1 Torr and for discharge currents of 5–10 A/cm2, direct voltage drops can be reduced to 0.7–0.5 V even for a fine-mesh grid. For a coarse-mesh grid whose holdoff voltage is sufficient for rectifying low voltages (∼15–20 V), direct voltage drops are almost the same as for a diode even for currents of 1 A/cm2 and lower. The critical factor of holdoff voltage loss is the grid emission level (∼1 mA/cm2).