Retarding field energy analyser ion current calibration and transmission

International audienceAccurate measurement of ion current density and ion energy distributions (IED) is often critical for plasma processes in both industrial and research settings. Retarding field energy analyzers (RFEA) have been used to measure IEDs because they are considered accurate, relatively simple and cost effective. However, their usage for critical measurement of ion current density is less common due to difficulties in estimating the proportion of incident ion current reaching the current collector through the RFEA retarding grids. In this paper an RFEA has been calibrated to measure ion current density from an ion beam at pressures ranging from 0.5 to 50.0 mTorr. A unique method is presented where the currents generated at each of the retarding grids and the RFEA upper face are measured separately, allowing the reduction in ion current to be monitored and accounted for at each stage of ion transit to the collector. From these I-V measurements a physical model is described. Subsequently, a mathematical description is extracted which includes parameters to account for grid transmissions, upper face secondary electron emission and collisionality. Pressure-dependant calibration factors can be calculated from least mean square best fits of the collector current to the model allowing quantitative measurement of ion current density

Investigation and plasma cleaning of first mirrors coated with relevant ITER contaminants: beryllium and tungsten

In order to extend the investigation of the plasma cleaning of ITER first mirrors, a set of molybdenum mirrors was coated in a laboratory with ITER-relevant contaminants, namely beryllium and tungsten. Different coating techniques as well as several contaminant compositions were used to ensure a large variety of films to clean, completing a previous study conducted on mirrors exposed in the JET ITER-like wall (tokamak deposits) [1]. Due to the toxicity of beryllium, the samples were treated in a vacuum chamber specially built for this purpose. The cleaning was performed using capacitively coupled RF plasma and evaluated by performing reflectivity measurements, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ion beam analysis. The removal of all types of contaminants was achieved by using different plasma compositions (argon, helium and mixtures of the two) with various ion energies (from 200-600 eV) and in some cases the mirror's reflectivity was restored towards initial values. Pure helium discharges were capable of removing mixed beryllium/tungsten layers and oxidized molybdenum. In addition, no significant increase in the diffuse reflectivity of the mirrors was observed for the helium cleaning, though this was the case for some samples cleaned with argon. Helium is therefore appropriate for cleaning all mirrors in ITER leading to a possible cleaning regime where the entire vessel is filled with He and all mirrors are cleaned simultaneously without damaging their surfaces