flicker effect
flicker effect
[′flik·ər i‚fekt]Flicker Effect
slow fluctuations of the electric currents and voltages in vacuum-tube and gas-filled electronic devices. Such fluctuations are caused by the vaporization of atoms of the cathode material, the diffusion of atoms from deep layers of the cathode to its surface, the bombardment of the cathode with positive ions, and structural changes in the cathode. The bombardment of the cathode with positive ions results in ion implantation and the formation of a layer of foreign atoms on the cathode’s surface. A space charge partially suppresses the flicker effect.