A nonconventional electron optical technique for the dynamic observation of cathode damage prior to electrical breakdown

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Abstract
Pulsed electric fields are used in a new technique for studying dynamically the progressive damage to clean electrode surfaces that precedes electrical breakdown. The pulse generator designed for these experiments delivers trapezoidal pulses of magnitudes 4-30 kV and length of the order of 15 μs, which are applied to electrodes inside an electron microscope. Sequence micrographs are presented showing how protrusions form in groups on the cathode surface in a time less than or approximately 15 μs.