H. Bhuyan

Development of Multi Faraday Cup Assembly for Ion Beam Measurements from a Low Energy Plasma Focus Device

A multiple Faraday cup assembly has been developed for measuring pulsed ion beam of a low energy plasma focus device. The Faraday cups operating in biased ion collector mode have nanosecond response and these have been used to determine the energy spectrum and flux of fast nitrogen ion beam emerging out of the pinched plasma column. The design feature that makes our Faraday cups unique is that they can register ion energy of higher kinetic value (~hundreds of keV) as well as lower kinetic value (~keV). It has been possible to register the ion energy upto a lower kinetic energy threshold of ~5 keV which is a value much lower than that obtained in any previous works. The correlation of the ion beam flux with filling gas pressure is also reported. Angular distribution of ion measurement reveals a highly anisotropic emission indicating an ion dip at the electrode axis.

Comparative study of soft x-ray emission characteristics in a low energy dense plasma focus device

An investigation on the soft x rays emitted in a 2.2 kJ Mather-type dense plasma focus device using a multichannel diode spectrometer and a simple pinhole camera is reported. Emitted x rays associated with different shapes (hollow, solid, and hemispherical) of anode and in hydrogen/nitrogen gas medium are compared. The structure of x-ray emitting sites as well as x-ray yields were found to be strongly influenced by the shape of the anode and the filling gas pressure. The maximum yield of 2.2 J into 4π sr was obtained in the case of hemispherical anode in hydrogen gas medium. The x-ray pinhole images of the collapsed plasma with the hemispherical anode indicated spot-like structure having 500–800 μm in diameter. On the contrary, other anode shapes showed columnar pinched structure of 8–10 mm in length and 1–2 mm in diameter. Results indicated that an appropriate design of the anode could enhance the x-ray yield by more than tenfold in a conventional low energy dense plasma focus device.

Ion beam emission in a low energy plasma focus device operating with methane

An investigation of ion beam emission from a low energy plasma focus (PF) device operating with methane is reported. Graphite collectors, operating in the bias ion collector mode, are used to estimate the energy spectrum and ion flux along the PF axis, using the time-of-flight technique. The ion beam signals are time correlated with the emission of soft x-ray pulses from the pinched focus plasma. The correlation of ion beam intensity with filling gas pressure indicates that the beam emission is maximized at the optimum pressure for focus formation at peak current. Ion beam energy correlations for operation in methane indicate that the dominant charge states in carbon ions are C+4 and C+5. The estimated maximum ion energy for H+, C+4 and C+5 are in the range of 200?400?keV, 400?600?keV and 900?1100?keV, respectively, whereas their densities are maximum for the energy range 60?100?keV, 150?250?keV and 350?450?keV, respectively. These results suggest that the ion beams are emitted from a high density, high temperature, short lived focus plasma, at a time which appears to precede the emission of soft x-ray pulses. The properties of the carbon ion beams are discussed in the context of potential applications in materials science.

Surface nitriding of graphite substrate by plasma focus device towards synthesis of carbon nitride coating

Abstract Circular graphite substrates have been nitrided in a plasma focus device. Nitrogen ions consisting of 100-ns pulses emanating from a Mather type plasma focus device were allowed to hit the surfaces of graphite substrates for 20 and 30 times (shots) to produce nitrided coatings. Microstructural characterization of the coatings carried out by XRD determined the d values of the nitride compound thus produced and four d values matched with those predicted by Cohen and co-workers and Wang et al. [Phys. Rev. B32 (1985) 7988; Science 245 (1989) 841; Phys. Rev. B41 (1990) 10727; Phys. Rev. B58 (1998) 11890] for carbon nitride. SEM and optical microscopic studies of the nitrided graphite surface reveal a rounded and island like morphology of the carbon nitride grains. Comparison of XPS results of the unnitrided and nitrided graphite shows the evidence for carbon–nitrogen bonding. IR spectra attribute the 1274.4 cm −1 absorption peak to C 3 N 4 (sp 3 ). The clear improvements observed in microhardness values point to the growth of a hard carbon nitride phase.

Effect of Anode Designs on Ion Emission Characteristics of a Plasma Focus Device

A comparative study on the ion emission characteristics such as flux and energy, and their variation in angular positions and operating gas pressures has been carried out in a nitrogen-filling plasma focus device. Three different designs of cylindrical anode (central electrode) having hollow, solid and hemispherical tip have been tested for this study. The ion emission characteristics were investigated by employing three Faraday cups at various angular positions. The ion flux depends on the operating gas pressure irrespective of the anode designs and the maximum ion flux is found to be in the pressure range 0.3 to 0.5 Torr for all the anode designs. The hemispherical anode yields highest ion flux while the hollow anode emits lowest ion flux. The angular variation of ion flux is seen to be anisotropic irrespective of the anode designs with an ion dip at 0° (axis of the device) and maximal at 5° angular positions. The anisotropic character of ion emission is less in the case of the hemispherical anode than the hollow anode. The ion energy, measured by the time of flight method, shows its dependence on the anode designs. The maximum ion energy is found to be around 830 keV at an angular position 5° in the case of the hemispherical anode design. The most probable ions are found to be with energy less than 100 keV irrespective of the anode designs and the angular positions. This study indicates that the plasma focus device could be optimized to a great extent for optimal ions yield by using an appropriate anode design.

Theoretical approach for plasma series resonance effect in geometrically symmetric dual radio frequency plasma

Plasma series resonance (PSR) effect is well known in geometrically asymmetric capacitively couple radio frequency plasma. However, plasma series resonance effect in geometrically symmetric plasma has not been properly investigated. In this work, a theoretical approach is made to investigate the plasma series resonance effect and its influence on Ohmic and stochastic heating in geometrically symmetric discharge. Electrical asymmetry effect by means of dual frequency voltage waveform is applied to excite the plasma series resonance. The results show considerable variation in heating with phase difference between the voltage waveforms, which may be applicable in controlling the plasma parameters in such plasma.

Magnetic probe measurements of current?sheet dynamics in a coaxial plasma accelerator

A high-frequency multiple magnetic probe assembly has been specifically fabricated for the study of current sheet dynamics in the axial acceleration phase of a low-energy dense plasma focus (DPF) device operated in a nitrogen gas medium. The response time of each probe is of the order of 1 ns and the tiny structure of the probe is well suited to sense the magnetic field associated with a pulsed plasma without perturbing the plasma unduly. The magnetic probes were calibrated using a simple, novel and reliable calibration technique and the calibration factor is found to be 0.34 ± 0.028 T V−1. Our study reveals that the parabolic current sheet accelerates as it propagates through the electrode assembly, reaching a rundown velocity of ~6.1 cm µs−1. The average current sheet thickness in the axial acceleration phase is found to be ~3 cm. In our case, the current shedding and mass loss factors are estimated to be 32% and 40% respectively. Our approach of using a high-frequency multiple magnetic probe assembly for the study of current sheet dynamics in a DPF device is highly effective in obtaining precise and accurate measurements.

Measurements of time average series resonance effect in capacitively coupled radio frequency discharge plasma

Self-excited plasma series resonance is observed in low pressure capacitvely coupled radio frequency discharges as high-frequency oscillations superimposed on the normal radio frequency current. This high-frequency contribution to the radio frequency current is generated by a series resonance between the capacitive sheath and the inductive and resistive bulk plasma. In this report, we present an experimental method to measure the plasma series resonance in a capacitively coupled radio frequency argon plasma by modifying the homogeneous discharge model. The homogeneous discharge model is modified by introducing a correction factor to the plasma resistance. Plasma parameters are also calculated by considering the plasma series resonances effect. Experimental measurements show that the self-excitation of the plasma series resonance, which arises in capacitive discharge due to the nonlinear interaction of plasma bulk and sheath, significantly enhances both the Ohmic and stochastic heating. The experimentally ...

Experimental studies of ion beam anisotropy in a low energy plasma focus operating with methane

We have investigated, with time and space resolution, the ion beam emission from a plasma focus (PF) device, operating in methane, at 20 kV, with 1.8 kJ stored energy. A detector array is used to measure simultaneously the ion beams at five different angular directions with respect to the PF axis (0°, 10°, 15°, 20° and 90°), at a distance of 77 cm from the ion source. Ion beam energy correlations for operation in methane indicate that the dominant charge states on the detector are H+, C+4 and C+5, irrespective of the angular positions. The time integrated ion beam signal and the energy-dispersive x-ray analysis of a carbon films deposited on silicon surface shows the impurity emission from the PF electrode surface. Measured ion fluxes are maximum for the energy range of 15–40 keV, 50–100 keV and 100–300 keV, for H+, C+4, and C+5, respectively. Measurements of the angular distribution of hydrogen and carbon ions reveal a strong angular anisotropy. It is argued that the observed angular anisotropy of the ion beam emission can be explained in terms of ion Larmor radius effects during the z-pinch like plasma formation phase, which is characteristic of PF discharges.

Pulsed laser deposition of thin carbon films in a neutral gas background

We studied carbon film deposition using a laser-produced plasma, in argon and helium background gas, at pressures between 0.5 and 700 mTorr. A Nd : YAG, 370 mJ, 3.5 ns, at 1.06 µm, operating at 10 Hz, with a fluence of 6.7 J cm−2 was used. The laser plasma was characterized using space resolved OES and a fast response Faraday cup. The resulting carbon films were analysed using AFM, Raman spectroscopy, XPS and SIMS. The structural properties of the carbon films were found to be strongly correlated with the laser carbon plasma composition. Films with a relatively high content of sp3, characteristic of DLC, were obtained at pressures below 200 mTorr. For these conditions the characteristic carbon ion energies in the expanding laser plasma were of the order of 100 eV. At higher pressures sp2 bonds, associated with amorphous carbon, were dominant, which coincides with a high content of C2 molecules in the laser plasma, and a characteristic carbon ion energy around 20 eV.