Patent Application
20220157551
The present invention relates to an electron source attached to, for example, one end of a tether, and an electron source unit.
In space, electron emission sources are necessary in various applications. Examples of the electron emission sources include neutralizers for neutralizing ion beams for electric propulsion of ion engines, Hall thrusters, and the like, electron sources for propulsion systems called electrodynamic tethers, electron sources for preventing abnormal charging of spacecrafts, and electron sources for various scientific experiments.
Of those, the electrodynamic tether (hereinafter, referred to as “EDT”) is a propulsion system in which a long conductive wire (tether) is extended in low Earth orbits and an electrical current is passed therethrough to use an electromagnetic force (J×B force), which is generated by the interference between the geomagnetic field and the electrical current, as a propulsion force (see Non-Patent Literature 1). Especially in the case of orbital descent, a self-induced electromotive force can be utilized for electrical current driving, and thus the EDT is a propulsion system that does not need electric power or fuel in principle.
The EDT is considered to be particularly useful as orbital descent means for discarding space debris (space junk), which exists in large numbers in low Earth orbits (see Patent Literature 1).
In order to pass a certain level of large electrical current through the tether, it is necessary to attach an electron source to one end of the tether and emit electrons to outer space.
It is desirable that the electron source is as simple and low-power a system as possible when mounted on a spacecraft. In that respect, a field emission type electron source that merely applies a voltage between electrodes is suitable for an electron source of a spacecraft. In particular, a CNT electron source that uses a carbon nanotube (hereinafter, referred to as “CNT”) as an electronic material allows low-voltage driving by the electric field concentration effect provided by a nanoscale shape, and is expected as an electron source for space, including applications to the EDT. The CNT electron source includes a CNT emitter for emitting electrons, a gate electrode for extracting electrons, a mask for covering the upper portion of the gate electrode, and further an insulating spacer for retaining the electrical insulation between electrodes (see Patent Literature 2).
The increasing space debris is particularly problematic in low Earth orbits where there is a large amount of atomic oxygen (hereinafter, referred to as “AO”). So, it has been found that the electron emission performance of the CNT electron source is degraded due to the chemical/physical reaction between the CNT and AO. Specifically, the driving voltage required to obtain an equal electron-emission current rises due to the influence of AO. Since AO collides with objects flying in low Earth orbits at a velocity of approximately 8 km/s, which is close to an orbital velocity, the performance degradation of the electron source due to the damage of the CNT is significant if the CNT electron source is mounted on the front side of a flying object (see Non-Patent Literature 2).
For that reason, it has been proposed to take care not to turn the electron emission surface to the front side or proposed to use a shielding plate when the CNT electron source is used in low Earth orbits (see Non-Patent Literature 3). This ensures a certain length of life, which has been confirmed by simulated experiments performed so far (see Non-Patent Literature 2) and by experiments carried out in low Earth orbits (see Non-Patent Literature 3).
However, even if the CNT electron source is arranged so as not to directly receive the high-energy AO as described above, the performance degradation (rise of driving voltage) progresses, though it is gentle. This is thought to result from the adsorption of oxygen onto the CNT. When the space debris removal in low Earth orbits is assumed, it may take one year or more of a mission period, and the rise of the driving voltage by a long-term operation will cause problems such as an increase in power consumption by the high voltage of a mounted voltage source, an increase in system mass, and further the damage of the electron source due to electrical breakdown. This greatly affects the formation of the system. So, it has been thought difficult to use the CNT electron source for long periods of time particularly in orbits where the AO concentration is high.
A similar problem occurs when the CNT electron source is used in a terrestrial vacuum chamber or device. For example, it has been found that, during the operation of the electron source immediately after the vacuum chamber is closed to evacuate the inside thereof, oxygen and moisture at the time of exposure to the atmosphere remain (are adsorbed) onto the CNT and thus cause damage to the CNT. This leads to short-term/long-term degradation of characteristics.
In order to solve such problems, a method of desorbing a substance adsorbed onto the CNT has been conceived so far. Examples of the method include baking (heating) using a heater (e.g., Patent Literature 3), ion irradiation using an ion source (e.g., Patent Literature 4), and an irradiation method of high-energy electrons of keV or higher using an electron gun (Patent Literature 5).
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-131124
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-109514
Patent Literature 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-047254
Patent Literature 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-172862
Patent Literature 5: U.S. Patent Application No. 2002-0142698
Non-Patent Literature 1: http://www.kenkai.jaxa.jp/research/debris/deb-edt.html
Non-Patent Literature 2: Atsuko SHIMADA et al., ‘Effect of Atomic Oxygen Irradiation on Field Emission Cathodes in Low Earth Orbit’ TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY JAPAN 2014 Volume 12 Issue ists29 Pages Pb_59-Pb_64.
Non-Patent Literature 3: Yasushi Ohkawa et al., ‘Operation of a Carbon Nanotube Field-Emission Cathode in Low Earth Orbit’ Conference: 2018 31st International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), Kyoto Japan, July 2018.
While each of the above means is effective on the ground, it is difficult to additionally mount a heater, an ion source, an electronic gun, or the like on a spacecraft because of an increase in system weight, complexity of the system, and an increase in power consumption. Further, it is also unclear whether those methods are effective in suppressing the performance degradation of the CNT electron source due to AO peculiar to the low Earth orbits.
In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electron source and an electron source unit that are lightweight, simple in configuration, and capable of suppressing characteristic degradation or recovering characteristics without causing an increase in power consumption.
The inventors of the present invention have found that the characteristic degradation progresses when the CNT electron source is irradiated with AO, but the characteristics are hardly degraded when the CNT electron source is irradiated with electrons during the AO irradiation. The present invention has been made on the basis of such a finding.
In other words, in order to achieve the above object, an electron source according to the present invention includes: an emitter for emitting electrons, the emitter including a nanocarbon material; a gate electrode for extracting electrons from the emitter; and an irradiation section that causes the gate electrode to emit electrons to irradiate the emitter with electrons.
If the emission of electrons from the emitter is started while active oxygen is adsorbed onto the emitter formed of a nanocarbon material such as a CNT, the CNT or the like will be damaged. In the present invention, however, the emitter is irradiated with electrons, and oxygen adsorbed onto the emitter is desorbed, so that the damage to the CNT or the like is suppressed and the characteristic degradation of the emitter does not progress. Further, the present invention employs a configuration in which the emitter is irradiated with electrons using constituent elements originally possessed by the electron source. This makes it possible to provide a lightweight and a simple configuration and also suppress characteristic degradation or recover characteristics without causing an increase in power consumption.
In the electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention, the irradiation section includes a switching section that switches a connection destination of a gate power supply for originally supplying power to the gate electrode from the gate electrode to the emitter and also disconnects grounding to the emitter.
In the electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention, the irradiation section includes a gate power supply for originally supplying power to the gate electrode, a bias application power supply for applying a bias of a positive potential to the emitter, and a switching section that switches a connection destination of the gate power supply from ground to the bias application power supply.
An electron source unit according to the present invention includes at least two electron sources each having the configuration described above, and has a mode of irradiating the emitter of one of the electron sources with electrons emitted from another one of the electron sources, and a mode of irradiating the emitter of the other one of the electron sources with electrons emitted from the one of the electron sources.
In the electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention, the irradiation section includes a connection section that electrically connects a tether and the emitter to each other.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lightweight and simple configuration and suppress characteristic degradation or recover characteristics without causing an increase in power consumption.
An electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a CNT emitter for emitting electrons; a gate electrode for extracting electrons from the CNT emitter; an irradiation section that causes the gate electrode to emit electrons to irradiate the emitter with electrons; and a switching section that switches a connection destination of a gate power supply for originally supplying power to the gate electrode from the gate electrode to the CNT emitter and also disconnects grounding to the CNT emitter.
In a CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention, a positive potential is actively applied to the CNT emitter of the CNT electron source that is normally at a potential equivalent to that of space plasmas or at a negative potential. Since the periphery of a spacecraft is filled with plasmas in low Earth orbits, the CNT emitter is set at a positive potential to attract electrons to the CNT emitter from the plasmas in low Earth orbits and to cause the electrons to collide with the CNT emitter, so that the oxygen attached to the CNT is desorbed. Thus, the CNT emitter can be cleaned. In this case, it is not necessary to mount a new electron gun or the like. Further, the power supply originally mounted to apply a voltage to the gate electrode can be used, and thus problems such as an increase in weight and system complexity do not occur. It is particularly effective to perform this method after the launch and before the first use of the electron source in orbits. Adsorbed substances accumulated on the CNT emitter are removed first, and thus significant initial characteristic degradation can be prevented.
In such a manner, the inventors of the present invention have confirmed by an AO irradiation experiment on the ground that the characteristic degradation of the CNT electron source due to AO can be suppressed by irradiating the CNT emitter with electrons.
A CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a CNT emitter for emitting electrons; a gate electrode for extracting electrons from the CNT emitter; and an irradiation section that causes the gate electrode to emit electrons to irradiate the emitter with electrons, the irradiation section including a connection section that electrically connects a tether and the CNT emitter to each other.
In the CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention, on the assumption that the CNT electron source is used for an EDT, a self-induced electromotive force generated by the tether is used. Space debris is particularly concentrated in orbits with a large orbital inclination (e.g., 98 degrees) among low Earth orbits. When the EDT is attached to the space debris to orbit, the positive and negative directions of the geomagnetic field with respect to tether motion are reversed during orbiting, and thus the direction of the self-induced electromotive force generated along the tether is reversed during orbiting. This means that the potential of a debris removal satellite (i.e., the potential of the CNT emitter) with respect to the space plasmas becomes positive or negative during orbiting.
However, from the viewpoint of suppressing the characteristic degradation by irradiating the CNT emitter with electrons, the above-mentioned period is not wasteful. Since the CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the connection section that electrically connects the tether and the CNT emitter to each other, such a cleaning action that electrons in the space plasmas spontaneously flow into the CNT emitter and the oxygen adsorbed onto the CNT is desorbed occurs while the debris removal satellite is positive with respect to outer space. After the potential relation is reversed, the emission of electrons is started from the CNT emitter in the state where the CNT emitter is cleaned, so that the characteristic degradation can be suppressed to the minimum. Consequently, it is conceived that the CNT electron source can be operated at a lower voltage (i.e., lower power) for longer periods of time than in the case of continuing to simply emit electrons in a low Earth orbit environment. In this case, it is important to maintain the electric connection between the CNT emitter and the tether.
The CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention allows a long-term use of the CNT electron source in a low Earth orbit environment, which has been considered difficult so far.
In particular, if the above-mentioned electron irradiation using the space plasmas is performed before the CNT electron source is operated for the first time in an orbit, it is possible to eliminate the adsorbed substances accumulated on the CNT at the time of storage on the ground, at the time of launch, and in a later AO-exposed environment, and to greatly suppress the initial characteristic degradation.
Further, since the characteristic degradation of the CNT electron source (rise of driving voltage) can be substantially suppressed, it is possible to reduce the voltage level of the driving voltage of the electron source. This makes it possible to use a lightweight power supply with low power consumption and further to prevent the occurrence of electrical breakdown due to a high voltage, and thus to increase the system formability.
The above-mentioned points produce effects regardless of where the CNT electron source is applied.
Further, since the CNT electron source according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the connection section that electrically connects the tether and the CNT emitter to each other, the electron source can be provided with a long life without necessity of an additional device or the like, and thus the feasibility of the space debris removal system using the EDT can be increased.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Configurations of EDT and CNT Electron Source>
First, the EDT to which the CNT electron source according to the present invention is attached will be described.
Typically, the EDT 1 extends the conductive tether (wire) 2 with a kilometer-grade length in an orbit, passes an electrical current therethrough by the CNT electron source 3 to generate an electromagnetic force (J×B force) by the interference with the geomagnetic field, and utilizes the force as a propulsion force. The EDT 1 has the major advantage of providing a propulsion force without using fuel. In the case of orbital descent, a potential difference for driving an electrical current is also generated by the self-induced electromotive force, which is particularly advantageous.
Since the CNT electron source 3 is capable of emitting electrons only by grounding the CNT emitter 32 to the satellite ground and applying a positive potential to the gate electrode 33, the CNT electron source 3 has a simple structure and is further capable of reducing the driving voltage (gate voltage) by the electric field concentration effect at the tip of the CNT of the CNT emitter 32.
Such a CNT electron source 3 includes a mask 35 formed on the surface of the CNT emitter 32. The mask 35 is formed to face the region other than the gaps of the gate electrode 33. The mask 35 is provided to focus the electron beams into the gaps of the gate electrode 33 and to reduce the loss current flowing into the gate electrode 33. The technology regarding the mask 35 is described in detail in Patent Literature 2, and the description of the Patent Literature 2 is within the scope of the disclosure of this specification.
The CNT electron source 3 has a circuit configuration in which a CNT emitter 32 can be set at a positive potential with respect to outer space. Normally, a CNT electron source includes a high-voltage power supply (gate power supply) for applying a voltage to the gate electrode. The CNT electron source 3 includes, as an irradiation section that irradiates the CNT emitter 32 with electrons, a gate power supply connection switching relay 37a and a CNT emitter grounding switching relay 37b each serving as a switching section that switches a connection destination of a gate power supply 36 from the gate electrode 33 to the CNT emitter 32 and also disconnects grounding G to the CNT emitter 32. In the gate power supply connection switching relay 37a and the CNT emitter grounding switching relay 37b shown in
The CNT electron source 3 shown in
Assuming that the cleaning effect is not satisfactorily produced only with the electrons in space plasmas, the CNT electron source unit 30 has a device configuration in which two or more CNT electron sources 3 having the circuit configuration according to the first embodiment are mounted, one or a plurality of CNT electron sources 3 emits or emit electrons to the other CNT electron source(s) 3, and the other CNT electron source(s) 3 emits or emit electrons to the one or plurality of CNT electron sources 3 to mutually clean the respective CNT emitters 32.
This case is also effective in eliminating the influences of adsorbed gas during storage on the ground, outgas emitted from itself, and the like when the CNT electron source is used in a place where space plasmas are rare, for example, in higher orbits such as geostationary orbits in low Earth orbits or deep space.
Originally, there is a high possibility of mounting a plurality of electron sources from the viewpoint of ensuring redundancy or the like, so the CNT electron source unit 30 according to the second embodiment can be achieved by effectively utilizing the plurality of configurations.
Note that the CNT electron source unit 30 shown in
The CNT electron source 3 includes, as an irradiation section, a connection section 40 that electrically connects one end of a tether 2 and a CNT emitter 32 to each other. When the CNT electron source is utilized as an electron emission source of an EDT 1, the CNT emitter 32 is irradiated with electrons in space plasmas without using an external power source or the like to clean the CNT emitter 32 at a timing when a self-induced electromotive force generated by the tether 2 is reversed by a relative relationship with a magnetic field and thus the spacecraft is positively charged. In the case of an orbit with a large orbital inclination as shown in
<Modifications>
The present invention can be modified in various ways.
For example, the application of the positive potential to the CNT emitter 32 in the first embodiment or second embodiment may be operated in a pulsed manner alternately with the normal electron-emission operation. This makes it more effective to suppress the degradation of the characteristics of the CNT electron source 3.
The voltage for a positive potential applied to the CNT emitter 32 in the first embodiment may be varied to control the balance between cleaning effectiveness and power consumption or the like at every stage of the mission.
In the embodiments described above, the CNT emitter 32 including the emitter formed of the CNT has been exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to the cases where nanocarbon materials other than CNT, such as graphene, carbon nanofibers, and carbon nanocoils, are used for the emitter, and similar effects are produced.
In the third embodiment described above, the CNT electron source 3 is mounted at one end of the tether 2. However, in either case of the electron emission and the emitter cleaning in which the CNT electron sources 3 are mounted not at one end but at both ends of the tether 2 and the potential difference between the CNT emitter 32 and space plasmas is reversed, a state where a CNT electron source 3 at one end emits electrons and a CNT electron source 3 at the other end cleans the emitter is periodically repeated, thus allowing the CNT electron sources 3 to have a long life while effectively generating a propulsion force.
Although the example in which the CNT electron source 3 according to the present invention is mounted on the EDT has been described in the embodiments described above, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a CNT electron source is used as a neutralizer for electric propulsion of ion engines and the like and also a case of a place where space plasmas are rare. In such cases, a positive potential is applied to the CNT emitter to attract electrons to the CNT emitter from plasmas in a discharge chamber of an ion engine or the like, to clean the CNT emitter.
In the electron source according to the present invention, a plurality of CNT electron sources are adapted to be arranged as shown in the second embodiment and to be capable of emitting electrons to each other when the CNT electron sources are used in devices such as X-ray sources, various light sources, and displays for terrestrial use, not for space use, so that the life of the device can be extended.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-022266 | Feb 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/044838 | 11/15/2019 | WO | 00 |
