Another book scanned by Martin Forsberg.//All thanks to him!/
/
!!!THE BOOK!!!
Download 28MB
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne5vvdqw1r0pu6m/Cold%20Cathode%20Glow%20Discharge%20Tubes%20G%20F%20Weston-OCR.pdf?dl=0
Grahame/
/
/PREFACE//
/
/Cold cathode glow discharge tubes are not new, they have evolved over the//
//years from the early neon glow lamp, alongside the thermionic valve,
to find//
//application as indicators, voltage stabilisers, and as switches in
low-current//
//control circuits. Technical improvements and added sophistication of
design//
//in modern tubes have widened their application, and even in the face of//
//competition from semiconductor devices, which have virtually superseded//
//the vacuum tube, the cold cathode tube offers a versatile and reliable
active//
//element useful for control and computing applications where the highest//
//speeds are not essential.//
//Most of the newer tubes have been designed to operate with transistor//
//circuits. In general they are cheaper than either semiconductor
devices or//
//vacuum tubes, and in some applications they can perform functions which//
//would require complex circuitry were alternative devices to be used.
They//
//have a long operational life with the added advantages of light output
(useful//
//for servicing purposes), and the ability to withstand severe
overloads. For//
//read-out and display purposes no satisfactory semiconductor
alternative as//
//yet exists.//
//However, although cold cathode tubes are simple in design and
construction,//
//satisfactory use by the engineer requires a deeper knowledge of their//
//mechanism and behaviour than perhaps is required for thermionic vacuum//
//tubes or semiconductors. For example, far more attention has to be
paid in//
//designing circuits to the tolerances and life stability of cold
cathode tubes//
//than for other devices. This is mainly due to the fact that for valves
and//
//semiconductors, which have continuous and reversible control
characteristics,//
//the wide variations within the tube and circuit can be compensated for
by//
//negative feedback, whereas for cold cathode tubes with discontinuous//
//characteristics no such compensation can be provided. Thus the engineer//
//must be familiar with the parameters and circuit techniques peculiar
to this//
//class of device if full advantage is to be taken of its inherent
reliability and//
//economy.//
//A much wider use could be made of cold cathode tubes if the relevant//
//knowledge were more readily available. Unfortunately, whereas there are//
//numerous publications dealing with thermionic and semiconductor devices//
//and related circuit techniques, there is a dearth of information on cold//
//cathode tubes. ln fact the circuit engineer relies almost exclusively
on the//
//manufacturer promoting the tubes for the necessary information to enable//
//him to employ successfully the tube in his equipment. On this point it
is//
//noticeable the extent to which cold cathode tubes of all types are
employed//
//in Europe, where the manufacturing companies are most active, compare d//
//with the United States where, apart from numerical indicators, they are//
//hardly ever used.//
//The main aim of this book, therefore, is to present comprehensive
information//
//for the electronic engineer on the underlying physics of the glow
discharge,//
//on the design, construction, and performance of a wide range of//
//cold cathode tubes, and on the basic circuits and their applications.
lt is//
//hoped that by so doing the engineer will be helped to a better
understanding//
//of the devices and will be enabled to make more use of their
potentialities.//
//The first five chapters of the book deal with that part of gas-discharge//
//physics which is pertinent to cold cathode glow discharge tubes. The
subject//
//is dealt with in more detail than is strictly necessary for
understanding the//
//devices, but is aimed at bridging the gulf between the fundamental
gasdischarge//
//research being carried out in the universities and similar
establishments,//
//and the more applied physics and empirical data used by the tube//
//designer. Chapter 1 deals with ionisation in the gas and secondary
emission//
//mechanism at the cathode, represented by the Townsend first and second//
//coefficients respectively. The two processes together are responsible
for the//
//electron multiplication in the gas, which dictates the values of the
potential//
//required for initiating a glow discharge (breakdown potential) and the//
//potential at which it is self-sustained (maintaining potential).
Detailed and//
//up-to-date data on the Townsend coefficients are given for the inert
gases//
//and cathode materials common to commercially available tubes. The
effects//
//of electric field and gas pressure are discussed. In Chapter 2 a
survey is made//
//of the breakdown mechanism and characteristics of a glow discharge in
the//
//light of Chapter 1 , together with published empirical results. The
self-sustained//
//discharge is similarly dealt with in Chapter 3. In these two chapters//
//emphasis is laid on low pressure discharges, i.e. pressures below
atmospheric,//
//and in the case of the self-sustained discharge the cathode-fall zone
is mainly//
//dealt with. Chapter 4 is devoted to cathodic sputtering, the removal of//
//cathode material by the impinging ions, since it plays an important
rote in//
//the processing and performance of cold cathode tubes. Account is given
of//
//the work at low pressures or in a vacuum and on the various theories, as//
//weil as information on sputtering in the glow discharge. In Chapter 5,
the//
//temporal growth and decay of a glow dischargc is discussed. These time//
//effects are important when considering the specd at which cold cathode
tubes//
//can be switched.//
//Although the gas discharge physics dealt with in these first chapters is//
//limited in scope, being only that part which is relevant to cold
cathode tubes,//
//nevertheless within this limitation the subject has been treated
fairly thoroughly//
//with full bibliography and including unpublishcd work from the//
//Author's laboratory. lt is thus hoped that it will prove a useful
refercnce//
//source for the physicist or design cngineer engaged on the developmcnt
and//
//manufacture of cold cathode tubes or similar devices, and be a
complementary//
//book for the advanced student reading gas discharge physics.//
//In the four remaining chapters of the book a wide range of tube types is//
//described. Attention is drawn to the basis for their design in tcrms
of the//
//parameters discussed in the earlier chapters, and details are given of
construction,//
//processing, and performance. In this the author has been fortunate//
//in being able to draw upon the experience and knowledge of the various//
//development and application laboratories of the Philips/Mullard
organisation,//
//and to present considerable previously unpublished information. Basic//
//circuits, most of which have been tested in the associated applications//
//laboratories are given and applications are described. The chapters are//
//classified according to tube types; Chapter 6 deals with stabilisers and//
//reference tubes, including corona tubes, Chapter 7 with switching
diodes and//
//trigger tubes, Chapter 8 with stepping tubes, and Chapter 9 with display//
//tubes. Other tubes which might equally be classed as cold cathode glow//
//discharge tubes, such as Geiger counters, T.R. cells and spark gaps have//
//been omitted, as have cold cathode arc-discharge tubes, since they are
of//
//different character requiring a rather different approach.//
//Although cross-reference between chapters occurs in some places, attempt//
//has been made to keep each chapter self-contained, so that the engineer//
//desiring information on a particular device can obtain a detailed
account of//
//the tube and its circuit application without having to read earlier
chapters.//
//The author gratefully acknowledges the co-operation and encouragement//
//of his colleagues in the research and in the development laboratories.
He is//
//particularly indebted to Dr. R. F. Hall who read the manuscript and made//
//many useful suggestions and corrected a number of errors./
///Mullard Research Laboratories, Redhill, Surrey G.F.W.//
/
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