Linear plasma device for the study of plasma-surface interactions

Abstract

In the research and production company "PlasmaScience" (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan) a new laboratory linear plasma installation KAZ-PSI (Kazakstan plasma Generator for Plasma Surface Interactions) for studying the interaction of plasma with material has been developed and built. The article describes some features of the developed experimental setup for the study of surface-plasma interactions. The main elements of the linear plasma setup are an electron-beam gun with a LaB6 cathode, a plasma-beam discharge chamber, an interaction chamber, a target device, and an electromagnetic system consisting of electromagnetic coils. The KAZ-PSI facility allows generating continuous plasma of hydrogen, deuterium, helium, argon and nitrogen. The electron density of the plasma is in the range of the order of 1017 -1018 m-3 and the electron temperature is in the range of 1 to 20 eV. The incident ion energy is controlled by applying a negative bias of up to 2 kV to the target. Experiments on irradiation of tungsten with helium plasma were carried out for the first time at the KAZ-PSI facility. The paper presents the results of studies conducted to study changes in the tungsten mixture. The results have shown that after helium plasma irradiation the morphology of tungsten surface changes and relief is created on the surface due to atomisation of the surface by helium ions, as well as due to the formation of blisters.