Effect of multipactor conditioning on technical electrode surfaces

Journal Article · Thu Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 2009 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3273741· OSTI ID:21335718

Graves, T P; Spektor, R; Stout, P ^[1]

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1. Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA (United States)

Historically, multipactor conditioning has been utilized to remove surface contaminants from rf electrodes by electron-stimulated gas desorption, and such conditioning has been shown to reduce multipactor susceptibility. Multipactor threshold improvements are due to increasing E{sub 1}, the minimum energy for the secondary electron coefficient, {delta}>1, such that resonant electrons are incapable of producing discharge-sustaining secondary emission. Using an rf amplitude sweep technique, the evolution of the multipactor threshold is measured as a function of multipactor conditioning time for a series of technical electrode surfaces. Results show over +3 dB of threshold improvement in copper and gold electrodes, while the aluminum threshold actually decreases with conditioning exposure. Additionally, these conditioning results indicate the possible voltage region for transient-mode multipaction (TMM), which can cause significant risk to rf systems such as space satellite components for which in-situ conditioning is generally not possible. Experimental results and supporting Monte Carlo particle tracking simulation results are presented.

• OSTI ID: 21335718
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1187, Issue 1; Conference: 18. topical conference on radio frequency power in plasmas, Gent (Belgium), 24-26 Jun 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3273741; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALUMINIUM
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COPPER
DESORPTION
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRODES
ELECTRONS
FLUCTUATIONS
GOLD
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PLASMA
PLASMA SIMULATION
PLASMA WAVES
RF SYSTEMS
SECONDARY EMISSION
SURFACES
THERMONUCLEAR REACTOR MATERIALS
TRANSIENTS