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The sputtering-deposition balance in the beam and backflow regions of electric propulsion plume.

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Titel: The sputtering-deposition balance in the beam and backflow regions of electric propulsion plume.
Autoren: Qi, Jiayun1 (AUTHOR), Wu, Xu2 (AUTHOR), Yi, Tianlang2 (AUTHOR), Ren, Junxue2,3,4 (AUTHOR), Wang, Yibai1,2,3,4 (AUTHOR) wangyibai@buaa.edu.cn, Zhang, Zun1 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Guangchuan2 (AUTHOR), Wang, Weizong2,3 (AUTHOR), Tang, Haibin2,4,5 (AUTHOR)
Quelle: Acta Astronautica. Oct2025, Vol. 235, p512-524. 13p.
Schlagwörter: *ION energy, *SPUTTER deposition, *ELECTRIC propulsion, *HALL effect thruster, *PLASMA flow, *PROPELLANTS
Abstract: This paper investigates the sputtering and deposition effects in the backflow and beam regions under the influence of plasma flow in a Krypton propellant Hall thruster. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements were used to study deposition and sputtering in both the beam and backflow regions. The experimental results show that the plasma density in the backflow region is approximately on the order of 1014m−3, with a spatial potential ranging from 9.7 V to 13.8 V. The backflow region is predominantly characterized by low-energy ions generated by the charge-exchange effect. Additionally, the ion energy in the backflow region is more sensitive to the anode voltage. The results indicate that the backflow region is mainly dominated by the deposition of contaminants, while the beam region exhibits a combined effect of high-energy ion sputtering and the deposition of erosion products. The deposition rate in the backflow region increases with the propellant flow rate, showing consistency with the plasma density. The deposited products include B, C, N, and some metals, with deposition rates and spatial distributions of the primary products derived from frequency calibration. The sputtering mass fraction within the divergence half-angle accounts for 87.7 % of the total sputtering, and the sputtering effect is influenced by both the anode voltage and propellant flow rate. Higher anode voltage helps reduce the sputtering range of high-energy beams. It was found that the actual deposition amount is at least 4.7 times greater than the measured deposition. The new model considers the deposition of products from the thruster and secondary sputtering, allowing for a qualitative analysis of the actual deposition values based on the ion energy and the results from the energy dispersive spectrometer. • The deposition and plasma parameters in the beam and recirculation zones of Kr electric propulsion were tested. • The potential impact on typical spacecraft components subjected to the beam was estimated. • A model was developed to analyze the actual values of deposition and sputter products. • It was estimated that the actual deposition in the beam was at least 4.6 times higher than the measured value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Datenbank: Academic Search Index
Beschreibung
Abstract:This paper investigates the sputtering and deposition effects in the backflow and beam regions under the influence of plasma flow in a Krypton propellant Hall thruster. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements were used to study deposition and sputtering in both the beam and backflow regions. The experimental results show that the plasma density in the backflow region is approximately on the order of 1014m−3, with a spatial potential ranging from 9.7 V to 13.8 V. The backflow region is predominantly characterized by low-energy ions generated by the charge-exchange effect. Additionally, the ion energy in the backflow region is more sensitive to the anode voltage. The results indicate that the backflow region is mainly dominated by the deposition of contaminants, while the beam region exhibits a combined effect of high-energy ion sputtering and the deposition of erosion products. The deposition rate in the backflow region increases with the propellant flow rate, showing consistency with the plasma density. The deposited products include B, C, N, and some metals, with deposition rates and spatial distributions of the primary products derived from frequency calibration. The sputtering mass fraction within the divergence half-angle accounts for 87.7 % of the total sputtering, and the sputtering effect is influenced by both the anode voltage and propellant flow rate. Higher anode voltage helps reduce the sputtering range of high-energy beams. It was found that the actual deposition amount is at least 4.7 times greater than the measured deposition. The new model considers the deposition of products from the thruster and secondary sputtering, allowing for a qualitative analysis of the actual deposition values based on the ion energy and the results from the energy dispersive spectrometer. • The deposition and plasma parameters in the beam and recirculation zones of Kr electric propulsion were tested. • The potential impact on typical spacecraft components subjected to the beam was estimated. • A model was developed to analyze the actual values of deposition and sputter products. • It was estimated that the actual deposition in the beam was at least 4.6 times higher than the measured value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:00945765
DOI:10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.06.021