An advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform for in-situ characterization of electric propulsion thrusters and ion beam sources

Carsten Bundesmann; Christoph Eichhorn; Frank Scholze; Daniel Spemann; Horst Neumann; Damiano Pagano; Simone Scaranzin; Fabrizio Scortecci; Hans J. Leiter; Sven Gauter; Ruben Wiese; Holger Kersten; Kristof Holste; Peter Köhler; Peter J. Klar; Stéphane Mazouffre; Richard Blott; Alexandra Bulit; Käthe Dannenmayer

doi:10.1140/epjd/e2016-70236-0

2023 Impact factor 1.5

Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics

Topical Issue: Physics of Ion Beam Sources

Eur. Phys. J. D (2016) 70: 212
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2016-70236-0

Regular Article

An advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform for in-situ characterization of electric propulsion thrusters and ion beam sources^*

Carsten Bundesmann¹^a, Christoph Eichhorn¹, Frank Scholze¹, Daniel Spemann¹, Horst Neumann¹, Damiano Pagano², Simone Scaranzin², Fabrizio Scortecci², Hans J. Leiter³, Sven Gauter⁴, Ruben Wiese⁴, Holger Kersten⁴, Kristof Holste⁵, Peter Köhler⁵, Peter J. Klar⁵, Stéphane Mazouffre⁶, Richard Blott⁷, Alexandra Bulit⁸ and Käthe Dannenmayer⁸

¹ Leibniz-Institute of Surface Modification, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
² Aerospazio Tecnologie s.r.l., Via Provinciale Nord 42a, 53040 Rapolano Terme, Siena, Italy
³ Airbus Defence & Space GmbH, Im Langen Grund, 74239 Hardthausen-Lampoldshausen, Germany
⁴ Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Leibnizstr. 11-19, 24098 Kiel, Germany
⁵ Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, 35392 Gießen, Germany
⁶ ICARE, CNRS, 1C Av. de la Recherche Scientifique, 45071 Orléans, France
⁷ Space Enterprise Partnerships Ltd., Bennetts, Eastergate Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 3SJ, UK
⁸ ESA/ESTEC, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands

^a e-mail: Carsten.Bundesmann@iom-leipzig.de

Received: 4 April 2016
Published online: 18 October 2016

Abstract

Experimental characterization is an essential task in development, qualification and optimization process of electric propulsion thrusters or ion beam sources for material processing, because it can verify that the thruster or ion beam source fulfills the requested mission or application requirements, and it can provide parameters for thruster and plasma modeling. Moreover, there is a need for standardizing electric propulsion thruster diagnostics in order to make characterization results of different thrusters and also from measurements performed in different vacuum facilities reliable and comparable. Therefore, we have developed an advanced electric propulsion diagnostic (AEPD) platform, which allows a comprehensive in-situ characterization of electric propulsion thrusters (or ion beam sources) and could serve as a standard on-ground tool in the future. The AEPD platform uses a five-axis positioning system and provides the option to use diagnostic tools for beam characterization (Faraday probe, retarding potential analyzer, ExB probe, active thermal probe), for optical inspection (telemicroscope, triangular laser head), and for thermal characterization (pyrometer, thermocamera). Here we describe the capabilities of the diagnostic platform and provide first experimental results of the characterization of a gridded ion thruster RIT-μX.

Contribution to the Topical Issue “Physics of Ion Beam Sources”, edited by Holger Kersten and Horst Neumann.

© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2016