A Pulsed, High-Intensity Source of XUV Radiation Based on Ferrite Surface Breakdown at High Current

High-current discharges along a ferrite surface have been studied on BIN pulsed power facility (270-kA current amplitude, 80-ns rise time, and 300-kV output voltage). The samples of the ferrite were placed in the vacuum diode as the main load of the pulser. It was found that the initial discharge pattern could be predefined by drawing on the surface with a graphite pencil. Each discharge generated an intense, reproducible pulse of optical and XUV radiation, with time-integrated optical and XUV images being similar to ~5 consecutive shots; thereafter, the discharge channel would start to follow the shortest path between the electrodes, and continue with similar characteristics for at least the next 10 pulses. The transverse size of the emitting region did not exceed 200 μm in the 150 <;
E
<; 280 eV spectral band, probably due to plasma pinching. No soft X-ray (>0.8 keV) radiation was registered using photoconducting detectors.