Radiation sources for industrial applications: the spherical pinch and the vacuum spark

Summary for only given, as follows. Various plasma-based schemes have been pursued in recent years as radiation sources for industrial applications. ALFT has been engaged for some time now on research and development of the spherical pinch and the vacuum spark as candidates for strong radiation sources. In the spherical pinch a small and dense plasma can be generated by converging shock waves, whose temperature is high enough for broadband radiation to be emitted from the UV to the soft X-ray region of the spectrum. The source size is smaller than 1 mm. Further improvements on the strength of the source for industrial applications are being carried out. In the vacuum spark hot plasma spots are formed by the discharge of a capacitor across two properly shaped electrodes in a vacuum, generating radiation around the characteristic lines of the electrode material. Pinhole X-ray photography has shown that the source is less than 0.5 mm. Current research on such a device is concentrated on overcoming the intrinsic difficulties in strengthening its output: debris deposition on the beryllium window, overheating of the electrode material, and limited operating lifetime.