A simple vacuum suitcase for enabling plasma facing component characterization in fusion devices

Journal Article · Fri Feb 07 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5119166· OSTI ID:1606646

Maan, Anurag ^[1]; Kaita, R. ^[2]; Ostrowski, E. T. ^[3]; Majeski, R. ^[4]; Boyle, Dennis P. ^[4]; Donovan, David C. ^[1]; Ellis, R. A. ^[4]; Koel, B. E. ^[3]; Biewer, Theodore M. ^[5]

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1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
3. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
4. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
5. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

We have demonstrated a vacuum suitcase to transport samples in vacuo to a surface analysis station for characterization of tokamak plasma facing components (PFCs). This technique enables surface analysis at powerful, dedicated stations that are not encumbered by design constraints imposed on them by a tokamak. The vacuum suitcase is an alternative solution to characterizing PFCs using diagnostics that are designed and built around a tokamak. The vacuum suitcase, called the Sample Exposure Probe (SEP), features mobile ultra-high vacuum pumping. Active pumping under high vacuum enables sample transfer between the Lithium Tokamak eXperiment-β (LTX-β) and a high resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) system that is situated close by. A thermocouple inserted in the back of the sample head measures heat flux from the plasma during exposure, and together with a button heater, allows the sample to match the LTX-β PFCs in high temperature operations. As vacuum conditions are better during transfer and analysis than in the tokamak, less contamination is introduced to the samples. XPS scans on a dedicated analysis station enable peak identification due to higher resolution and signal to noise ratio. A similar probe could be implemented for other fusion devices. As a result, the SEP is the first vacuum suitcase implementation for fusion applications that incorporates active pumping.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-09CH11466; AC05-00OR22725; SC0012890
• OSTI ID: 1606646
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1608413; OSTI ID: 1598385
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 91; ISSN 0034-6748
• Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
Plasma facing components
Tokamaks
Vacuum apparatus
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy