Conditioning Process of Electropolished Electrodes by Field Emission Current in Vacuum

Results of an experimental investigation of the electrode conditioning process by field emission current in vacuum are presented. Steel, copper, and aluminum electrodes, electrolytically polished, were used. It was found that the optimum value of the emission current, maintained during the process of conditioning electordes, depends on the kind of metal and on the roughness of the electrode surface. If a higher current or one considerably lower than the optimum one is maintained between the electrodes, then the process of deconditioning of electrodes is observed.