High-power ion and electron sources in cascade arrangement

Claim 1

A HIGH-POWER ION AND ELECTRON SOURCE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PRECEDING STAGE INCLUDING AN ENERGIZABLE ANODE, CATHODE AND INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE, SAID INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE DEFINING A CHAMBER IN WHICH AN IONIZABLE GAS IS RECEIVED, AND COOPERATING WITH SAID ANODE AND CATHODE, WHEN RESPECTIVELY ENERGIZED, FOR IONIZING THE GAS AND FOR DISCHARGING ELECTRONS THROUGH AN APERTURE FORMED IN SAID ANODE, AND AT LEAST ONE SUCCEEDING CATHODE-LESS STAGE, OTHERWISE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR TO THE PRECEDING STAGE, SAID PRECEDING AND SUCCEEDING STAGES BEING ARRANGED IN CASCADE, THE ELECTRONS DISCHARGED BY THE PRECEDING STAGE BEING RECEIVED IN THE CHAMBER DEFINED BY THE INTERMEDIATE ELECTRODE OF THE CATHODE-LESS SUCCEEDING STAGE AND FORMING A VIRTUAL CATHODE FOR THE SAME, THE ANODE OF THE SUCCEEDING STAGE BEING BIASED WITH RESPECT TO THE VIRTUAL CATHODE TO ATTRACT THE ELECTRONS THEREOF, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE ATTRACTING VOLTAGE OF THE ANODE OF THE SUCCEEDING STAGE SO THAT A DISCHARGE CURRENT WITH A POSITIVE VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTIC AND WITHOUT CATHODE VOLTAGE DROP IS MAINTAINED, THE DISCHARGE CURRENTS OF SAID STAGES BEING INCREASED FROM STAGE TO STAGE THROUGH VOLUME IONIZATION OF THE GAS.