Breakdown Characteristics in Direct Current Discharge in Noble Gases

The dependences of the breakdown voltage Ubr on the parameter p × d—the product of the working gas pressure p and the interelectrode distance d (Paschen curve) in helium (p × d = 1.1–300 Torr cm), neon (p × d = 0.25–30 Torr cm) and argon (p × d = 0.09–570 Torr cm) were investigated. It is shown that the right branch of the Paschen curve (p × d) > (p × d)min for all investigated gases demonstrates lower breakdown voltage values than the known results, which is associated with a change in the emission properties of cold cathodes operating in pure gases with the effect of impurities influence minimization on current generation processes.