SURFACE RECOMBINATION IN BREAKDOWN TIME-DELAY EXPERIMENTS - EFFECT OFDIFFERENT CATHODE MATERIALS

The late afterglow in nitrogen with iron electrode is studied by the b reakdown time delay method i.e., by measuring the breakdown time delay t(d) as a function of the afterglow time tau. It is proposed that the cause of rite secondary electrons initiating the breakdown is the ene rgy of the surface recombination of nitrogen atoms on the iron electro de. The gas-phase and macrokinetic diffusive models are used to descri be tire experimental breakdown time delay data. By fitting the theoret ical curve to the experimental data: (1) it has been confirmed that ti re recombination on the molybdenum glass is of tire second order and t he value of the surface recombination coefficient is determined at 4 m bar; (2) it has been shown that the surface recombination on the iron electrode is of tire second order, and the effective recombination coe fficients ore determined; (3) the analytical form of the recombination coefficient as a function of rite adsorption characteristics of surfa ces and tire pressure of the parent gas has been derived. In addition. the orders of surface recombination on the molybdenum-, aluminum-, an d gold-plated electrode were determined by the same method.