Engineering topics

Salvadori, M C

Publications and source records attributed to Salvadori, M C.

2 records

DOE OSTI2012

On the electrical conductivity of Ti-implanted alumina

Ion implantation of metal species into insulators provides a tool for the formation of thin, electrically conducting, surface layers with experimenter-controlled resistivity. High energy implantation of Pt and Ti into alumina accelerator components has been successfully employed to control high voltage surface breakdown in a number of cases. In the work described here we have carried out some basic investigations related to the origin of this phenomenon. By comparison of the results of alumina implanted with Ti at 75 keV with the results of prior investigations of polymers implanted with Pt at 49 eV and Au at 67 eV, we describe a physical model of the effect based on percolation theory and estimate the percolation parameters for the Ti-alumina composite. We estimate that the percolation dose threshold is about 4 x 10{sup 16} cm{sup -2} and the maximum dose for which the system remains an insulator-conductor composite is about 10 x 10{sup 16} cm{sup -2}. The saturation electrical conductivity is estimated to be about 50 S/m. We conclude that the observed electrical conductivity properties of Ti-implanted alumina can be satisfactorily described by percolation theory.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2011

Self-neutralized ion beam

A vacuum arc ion source provides high current beams of metal ions that have been used both for accelerator injection and for ion implantation, and in both of these applications the degree of space charge neutralization of the beam is important. In accelerator injection application, the beam from the ion source may be accelerated further (post-acceleration), redirected by a bending magnet(s), or focused with magnetic or electrostatic lenses, and knowledge of the beam space charge is needed for optimal design of the optical elements. In ion implantation application, any build-up of positive charge in the insulating targets must be compensated by a simultaneous flux of cold electrons so as to provide overall charge neutrality of the target. We show that in line-of-sight ion implantation using a vacuum arc ion source, the high current ion beam carries along its own background sea of cold electrons, and this copious source of electrons provides a ''self-neutralizing'' feature to the beam. Here we describe experiments carried out in order to demonstrate this effect, and we provide an analysis showing that the beam is space-charge-neutralized to a very high degree.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗