Retarding Field Analyzer Research Articles

High-resolution electron energy analyzer with wide acceptance angle for hard x-ray photoelectron holography: Integrating PESCATORA and retarding field analyzer

Abstract Photoelectron holography requires measuring the photoelectron angular distribution across a wide solid angle, typically exceeding ±45°. This necessitates an electron analyzer that offers both a large solid angle and high energy resolution for kinetic energies ranging from several hundred to several thousand eV. Our previously developed high-resolution retarding field analyzer (RFA) achieves excellent energy resolution. However, its close electrode spacing limits operation at high voltages (several thousand eV). To address this limitation, we propose a novel electron analyzer that combines a parallelizing electron lens (PESCATORA) with an RFA. The PESCATORA lens parallelizes the trajectories of photoelectrons. Subsequently, the RFA decelerates and analyzes their energy. This two-stage approach allows for a sufficient distance between the RFA electrodes, enabling high-voltage operation. The resulting analyzer functions as a high-pass filter with a sharp energy cut-off. By incorporating lock-in detection, this system can be further worked as a bandpass electron analyzer.

Ligand Shell Thickness of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles Controls Cellular Uptake and Radiation Enhancement.

The drive to improve the safety and efficacy of radiotherapies for cancers has prompted the development of nanomaterials that can locally amplify the radiation dose at a tumor without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), in particular, exhibit promising radiosensitizing properties under kilovolt X-ray exposure, although the precise mechanism behind this enhancement is not fully understood. While most studies recognize the involvement of factors such as core composition, size, shape, and ligand chemistry in the effectiveness of Au NPs for radiation-induced cancer treatment, there is a scarcity of direct assessments that connect the photophysical properties of the nanomaterial with the observed cellular or biological outcomes. Despite previous evidence of low-energy electron (LEE) emission from Au NPs and their potential to initiate biological damage, to our knowledge, no studies directly correlate the secondary LEE emission with radiation-induced cell death. In this study we assessed Au NPs functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) ligands of varying molecular weights and lengths (1, 5, and 20 kDa PEG) as potential radiosensitizers of A549 lung cancer cells using kilovolt X-ray source potentials (33-130 kVp). We assessed NP internalization using mass cytometry, radiation dose enhancement using clonogenic survival assays, and secondary LEE emission using a retarding field analyzer. Results reveal a statistically significant difference in cellular uptake and radiation dose enhancement for 5 kDa PEG-Au NPs compared to formulations using 1 and 20 kDa PEG, while analysis of secondary LEE emission spectra demonstrated that differences in the length of the PEG ligand did not cause statistically significant attenuation of secondary LEE flux. Consequently, we inferred increased cellular uptake of NPs to be the cause for the observed enhancement in radiosensitivity for 5 kDa PEGylated Au NPs. The approach used in this study establishes a more complete workflow for designing and characterizing the performance of nanomaterial radiosensitizers, allowing for quantification of secondary LEEs and cellular uptake, and ultimately correlation with localized dose enhancement that leads to cell death.

Synthesis, physico-chemical characterization, DFT simulation, and field electron behaviour of 2D layered Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets

Nanostructures of Ti3C2Tx, one of the members of the MXenes family, have been successfully prepared by chemical etching of Al from Ti3AlC2 (MAX phase) using Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) for various etching durations at room temperature. The phase, morphological, structural, and chemical analysis was performed using XRD, FESEM, TEM, Raman, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology of as-synthesized Ti3C2Tx (MXene) phase is characterized by stacks of layered sheets like structures. Field electron emission (FEE) behaviour was investigated at the base pressure of 1 × 10−8 mbar. The pristine Ti3AlC2 (MAX) and Ti3C2Tx (MXene) nanosheets emitters showed values of turn-on field (defined at current density ∼ 1 μA cm−2) as 4.18 and 1.67 V μm−1, respectively. Furthermore, maximum emission current density of ∼ 825 μA cm−2 was extracted from the MXene nanosheets emitter at an applied field of 3.60 V μm−1, in contrast to ∼71 μA cm−2 drawn at 7.31 V μm−1 from the pristine MAX emitter. The MXene nanosheets emitter exhibited good emission current stabilities at pre-set values ∼ 10 and 100 μA over 3 h duration. Work function values of the MAX and MXene nanosheets emitters were measured using a retarding field analyzer, and found to be 4.4 and 3.6 eV, respectively. Extensive ab-initio simulations have been performed to provide structural and electronic properties, as well as for estimating the work function of Ti3C2 layered material. The estimated electronic density of states revealed its metallic character. The improved FEE performance exhibited by the 2D layered Ti3C2Tx (MXene) nanosheets emitter is attributed to its unique morphology characterized by high aspect ratio, metallic electronic properties and relatively lower work function.

An extensive analysis of SOL properties in high-δ plasmas in ASDEX Upgrade

A set of dedicated H-mode discharges with constant heating power combining Neutral Beam Injection and Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating have been executed at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak using a high triangularity magnetic geometry in order to investigate the impact of filamentary transport to divertor and non-divertor components. The evolution of upstream scrape-off layer (SOL) profiles have been correlated with dedicated separatrix quantities, mostly with the turbulence control parameter αt (Eich and Manz 2021 Nucl. Fusion 61 086016) describing the turbulence level at the separatrix. With increasing αt , a broadening of the upstream density profiles in the near-SOL together with the formation of a density shoulder in the far-SOL have been observed. This phenomenon is associated with an enhanced filamentary transport dominating the radial turbulent transport in the far-SOL and confirmed by means of the cooling water calorimetry on non-divertor components. The probe measurements conducted with the ball-pen probe-head mounted on the midplane manipulator and a retarding-field analyzer close to the limiter surface indicate that the key mechanism increasing the radial filamentary transport to the first wall is an increase of the particle flux Γr,fil , caused primarily by the packing fraction fPF,fil and the filament density ne,fil . At the same time, the electron temperature Te and ion temperature Ti measured close to the limiter surface show only small variations above αt > 0.5. Both the filamentary heat flux and the gross erosion derived from the first wall probe measurements reach a magnitude that should be considered in the design of future fusion reactors.

Determination of Parallel and Perpendicular Ion Temperatures Based on Selective Ion Transmission in a Retarding Field Analyzer

Determination of Parallel and Perpendicular Ion Temperatures Based on Selective Ion Transmission in a Retarding Field Analyzer

Characteristics of the SOL ion-to-electron temperature ratio on the J-TEXT tokamak with different plasma configurations

Accurate measurement of the average plasma parameters in the edge region, including the temperature and density of electrons and ions, is critical for understanding the characteristics of the scrape-off layer (SOL) and divertor plasma transport in magnetically confined fusion research. On the J-TEXT tokamak, a multi-channel retarding field analyzer (RFA) probe has been developed to study average plasma parameters in the edge region under various poloidal divertor and island divertor configurations. The edge radial profile of the ion-to-electron temperature ratio, τ i/e, has been determined, which gradually decreases as the SOL ion self-collisionality, , increases. This is broadly consistent with what has been observed previously from various tokamak experiments. However, the comparison of experimental results under different configurations shows that in the poloidal divertor configuration, even under the same , τ i/e in the SOL region becomes smaller as the distance from the X-point to the target plate increases. In the island divertor configuration, τ i/e near the O-point is higher than that near the X-point at the same , and both are higher than those in the limiter configuration. These results suggest that the magnetic configuration plays a critical role in the energy distributions between electrons and ions at the plasma boundary.

Thermionic electrons in electron beam powder bed fusion process: An experimental investigation

The melting conditions in Electron beam Powder Bed Fusion can be easily adjusted with real-time monitoring. Thermionic electrons (THER) have great potential for monitoring, as they are emitted by the hottest spots close to the depression zone, where the primary e-beam (PEB) interacts with the target (powder). This paper investigates THER characteristics for different PEB currents. The THER signal was collected and filtered by a Retarding Field Analyzer using two probes: the heat shield (large area) and a tiny probe, which has a surface one thousand times smaller. The analysis focuses on THER's recorded intensity, phase, spatial, and energy distributions. The origin and characteristics of the signal change from the thermal welding regime to the keyhole formation. Applying Richardson-Dushman’s equation, the emitted THER surface was inferred, having ∼310 µm of diameter for a high PEB, which is quite close to the value measured for the PEB spot diameter (∼250 µm), responsible for carrying 95% of the current.

Dependence of ion charge-energy emission from Nd:YAG-laser-produced plasma on laser intensity in the 0.4–40×1010 W/cm2 range

We experimentally characterize the ionic emission, including the individual charge states Snz+ (z=1, …, 8), from laser-produced tin plasma as a function of the intensity of the employed ns-pulsed laser. The plasma is generated in a vacuum from tin microdroplets (diameter ranging from 17 to 35 μm) using pulsed Nd:YAG laser light (laser wavelength λ=1.064 μm) over a range of intensities (0.4–40×1010 W/cm2). We measure charge-state-resolved and integrated ion energy distributions at seven angular positions around the plasma using seven retarding field analyzers. We highlight peak features in both types of spectra and describe the dependence of their energies on laser intensity with power-law functions. The resulting power laws match those derived from plasma radiation hydrodynamics theory. The analytical scaling laws exhibit strong isotropy, while the ion energy spectra are highly anisotropic.

Electron transport in macroscopic borosilicate capillaries with bending angles of 90° and 360°

In this work, we present observations about the transport of 15.2 keV electrons with a beam current of 21 μA through macroscopic dielectric capillaries. These capillaries are made of borosilicate glass with an inner diameter of about 6 mm, and samples with a bending angle of 90° and 360° were investigated. The electron gun was adjusted, and the beam injected into the capillary had a current of 21 μA and a divergence half angle of about 0.75°. A retarding field analyzer (RFA) was installed at the outlet of the capillary to collect the transported current and to investigate the particle energy of exiting electrons (Fig. 1). The transport of electrons to the outlet occurred nearly instantaneous in both capillaries, and the RFA at the outlet detected a current of around 20 μA for both capillary samples resulting in a transmission coefficient of over 95%. Energy measurements showed that the particle energy at the outlet is only at several electron volts, which reveals that electrons lost almost all of their incident energy while traveling through the capillary. A large amount of exiting particles are most likely secondary electrons emitted from the capillary sample. The fact that transmission coefficients for both samples are similarly high, and that the particles can still be transported through the 360° capillary although most of their energy is already lost at 90°, results in many questions that shall be investigated in further studies. The capillaries showed a blueish glow during electron transmission due to cathodoluminescence effects.

Impact of selective ion transmission on measurement by retarding field analyzer

The impact of selective ion transmission on the use of retarding field analyzers (RFAs), which is attributed to the ion Larmor motion, was investigated. Depending on the ion Larmor radius and ion guiding center position, selective transmission limits the parallel and perpendicular ion velocities inside the RFA volume. The velocity limitation flattens I–V curve, leading to an overestimation of the parallel ion temperature. However, the overestimation can be reduced to an acceptable level using the slope in a large grid potential region. The influence of selective transmission depends on both parallel and perpendicular ion temperatures. This nature likely allows the simultaneous determination of two ion temperatures by the best fit of the experimental data, even from a single I–V curve. Applicability of this method was investigated using a radio frequency plasma.

The longitudinal energy spread of ion beams extracted from an electron cyclotron resonance ion source

We present a study of factors affecting the energy spread of ion beams extracted from a Charge Breeder Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (CB-ECRIS). The comprehensive simulations, supported by experiments with a Retarding Field Analyser (RFA), reveal that the longitudinal and transverse energy spread of the extracted beams are strongly affected by the electrostatic focusing effects, namely the extraction geometry and plasma beam boundary, to the extent that the electrostatic effects dominate over the magnetic field induced rotation of the beam or the effect of plasma potential and ion temperature. The dominance of the electrostatic focusing effect over the magnetic field induced rotation complicates parametric studies of the transverse emittance as a function of the magnetic field strength, and comparison of emittance values obtained with different ion sources having different extraction designs. Our results demonstrate that the full ion beam energy spread, relevant for the downstream accelerator, can be measured with the RFA only when all ions are collected. On the contrary, studying the effect of plasma properties (plasma potential and ion temperature) on the longitudinal energy spread requires heavy collimation of the beam accepting only ions near the symmetry axis of the beam for which the electrostatic and magnetic effects are suppressed. As the extraction system of the CB-ECRIS is similar to a conventional ECRIS, the conclusions of the study can be generalised to apply for all high charge state ECR ion sources. Finally, we present the results of systematic plasma potential measurements of the Phoenix-type CB-ECRIS at LPSC, varying the source potential, the microwave power and the axial magnetic field srength. It was observed that the plasma potential increases with the extraction magnetic field and the microwave power.

An Algorithm to Correct the Sensitivity Distribution of a Retarding Field Analyzer for Photoelectron Holography

Recently, we developed a retarding field analyzer (RFA) with high energy resolution and wide acceptance angles, which was installed at BL25SU in SPring-8, Japan. This apparatus enables us to measure photoelectron angular distributions (photoelectron holograms) with a solid angle of ±49° in a few minutes, and this approach is now being applied to measure the atomic arrangements of dopants and interfaces. However, correcting the sensitivity distribution of the measured images by the RFA is important in processing this data. The sensitivity distribution of the RFA is difficult to measure directly because it depends on the geometry of a sample, the kinetic energy of the photoelectrons, and so forth. Therefore, we developed an image processing algorithm to estimate the sensitivity distribution using spherical harmonics. This approach is more accurate than a Fourier transform and can efficiently correct the sensitivity distribution. Moreover, the algorithm can also be adopted in a wide variety of other applications in addition to RFA measurements.

High-resolution grid-less retarding potential analyser and its application for sputter negative ion source

An advanced, grid-less, retarding field analyzer (RFA) operating in energy distribution and absolute energy determination modes was developed Two different experimental geometries were used in order to verify the SIMION calculated resolution of the RFA. In energy distribution operation mode, an acceptable resolution of RFA σR of a few eV was achieved by selecting the appropriate geometry responsible for the topography of the retarding field. The device was used to measure the absolute energies and energy distributions of negative ions: H−, Fe−, Ni− and Cu− sputtered from solid cathode surfaces by a 4.2–4.5 keV Cs+ beam employing a modified Source of Negative Ions by Caesium Sputtering (SNICS). All spectra were similar to that of sputtered neutrals with a FWHM of <10 eV and a high energy tail. Depending on the value of surface binding energy, ESBE, the energy of negative beams surpassed or fell behind eU cath by a fraction of eV. After considering ESBE and the work functions of emitting and retarding surfaces, the preliminary conclusion was that the negative ions under investigation were created near the cathode surface.

Effect of molecular axis orientation of 3.6 MeV Si2+ projectiles on the ion-induced secondary electron emission from a carbon foil

We study ion-induced secondary electron emission from solid surfaces. This work focuses on the dependence of the energy distribution of secondary electrons on the orientation of Si-dimers impinging on thin carbon foils. The orientation was determined by the foil-induced Coulomb explosion method. Furthermore, the electron energy was measured with a retarding field analyzer. The correlation between the electron energy distribution and the cluster orientation was obtained through simultaneous measurements. A comparison of the electron energy distribution for parallel and perpendicular orientations indicated that the electron yields at an energy below 20 eV are lower for parallel orientation. This reduction can be explained by the orientation dependence of the energy loss of Si2+ in carbon. It was suggested that the orientation effect is due to the distant collision between the cluster and the target atom, in which low-energy electrons are produced.

Investigation of Negative Ion Energy Distribution and Extraction Mechanism With a Compact Retarding Field Energy Analyzer in a Large Filament-Arc Source for Neutral Beam Injectors

In large beam sources for neutral beam injectors (NBIs) operating at high energies, negative hydrogen ions (NI) are extracted from a caesiated plasma discharge. H− ions are generated from volume and surface processes; surface production is enhanced by cesium deposition on the source walls and in particular on the plasma-facing electrode of the accelerator. The mechanisms of negative ion production and of extraction in the magnetic field present at the extraction apertures influence the formation of the single beamlets and their optics. A newly developed compact retarding field energy analyzer (CRFEA) was constructed and installed at the upstream surface of the plasma grid (PG) of a filament-arc source, the research negative ion source (RNIS) at the National Institute of Fusion Science. It was used to characterize the negative ions in the plasma source with and without cesium. The first electrode of the analyzer has a conical shape, resembling the PG apertures from which the beam is extracted. The measured saturation current was analyzed and correlated with the source parameters and the current of the negative-ion beam. The energy distribution of collected ions depends on the origin of the negative ions, and on possible energy exchange processes; but it is found to be also strongly influenced by the curvature of the meniscus (the plasma edge where the beam is formed). This compact retarding field analyzer proved to be effective for the study of the formation of a negative ion beam. The limits of the present design, and possible improvements are discussed, in particular to minimize the dependence of the transmission on perveance and extend the dynamic range of the diagnostic.

Atomic structure analysis of gallium oxide at the Al2O3/GaN interface using photoelectron holography

The atomic structure of gallium oxide at the Al2O3/GaN interface was investigated using photoelectron holography. An amorphous Al2O3 layer was formed on a homoepitaxially grown n-type GaN surface by atomic layer deposition at 300 °C. The photoelectron holograms were measured by a display-type retarding field analyzer. From the forward-focusing peaks in the photoelectron hologram of Ga 3d, we confirmed that a layer of gallium oxide ordered structure is found at the Al2O3/GaN interface, and the Ga–O–Ga lattice constant on the c-axis was 1.2 times longer than the Ga–N–Ga distance of the GaN crystal structure.

Effect of the transmission line on the ion temperature measured by the retarding field analyzer

Due to the presence of capacitance in the transmission line, the current collected by the retarding field analyzer (RFA) becomes asymmetrical (i.e., hysteresis) during voltage scanning, and it further affects the measurement of the ion temperature (Ti). In this article, we first analyze the hysteresis of the RFA’s I–V characteristics measured in the edge plasma of the J-TEXT tokamak, and we found that the ion temperature fitted from the falling side of the collector current is about 14% higher than that fitted from the rising side. An analytic model is built and verified by experimental results. Based on the model, the influence of the capacitance of transmission lines and the frequency of the scanning voltage on the hysteresis is investigated. It is found that the hysteresis becomes more remarkable with increasing capacitance or scanning frequency. Besides, the impact of the capacitance and the scanning frequency on the Ti measurement is also studied, which indicates that Ti is overestimated due to the hysteresis. The temperature error is linearly dependent on the capacitance and the scanning frequency. Furthermore, the analytical results are expected to be used in the prediction of scanning frequency for RFA applications.

Observation of direct power deposition of ICRF in EAST plasma boundary

Waves in the ion-cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) used for plasma heating are known to interact strongly with the scrape-off layer (SOL) plasma, potentially limiting ICRF performance. We present the evidence of direct power deposition of ICRF in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) plasma boundary, with two ICRF antennas and 12 MW of ICRF source power in support of high-power and long-pulse operation. By applying Retarding Field Analyzer (RFA) diagnostic, a sharp rise in average collected ion parallel energy was obtained during the period of ICRF heating as the RFA probe stayed still at 2 mm behind the main limiter which indicates that a certain amount of power is deposited near the limiter instead of being absorbed by the main plasma. A significant increase of the target floating potential in electron temperature measured by Divertor Langmuir Probes arrays was observed. The wall temperature in the far SOL was also enhanced. As a consequence, an enhancement of the carbon and tungsten impurity concentration was observed both at the plasma boundary and core. Besides, plasma radiation, the impurity concentration of the boundary and core increased, and the temperature rise of the first wall was also observed, which are intuitive and powerful pieces of evidence of ICRF direct power deposition at the boundary.

Measurement of negative ion fluxes during DC reactive magnetron sputtering of Ti in Ar/O2 atmosphere using a magnetic-filtering probe

The flux of negative oxygen ions in a dc reactive magnetron discharge has been measured using a specially developed magnetic-filtering probe. The gridded probe which operates as a retarding field analyzer has a magnetic filter attached to the front entrance to suppress plasma electrons entering the device. As a result, the fluxes of unmagnetized negative ions with energies of higher than ~10 eV can arrive to an ion collector and contribute to the detected probe current. During the oxide mode of Ti–Ar/O2 magnetron sputtering discharge, the measured negative ion flux is considered to be contributed by the sputtered O− ions generated at the target surface and the plasma O− ions created in the discharge volume. However, in specific discharge conditions, the sputtered ions are likely to dominate in the measured flux signal. As a result, the yield of the sputtered O− ions and associated energy flux can be examined. The magnetic-filtering probe could potentially be employed as a real-time diagnostic tool to monitor the sputtered O− flux as well as the oxide state of the target surface during reactive magnetron sputtering processes.

Spherical micro-hole grid for high-resolution retarding field analyzer.

A wide-acceptance-angle spherical grid composed of numerous micro cylindrical holes was developed to be used for the retarding grid of a display-type retarding field analyzer (RFA) and to enhance the energy resolution (E/ΔE). Each cylindrical hole with a diameter of 50 µm and a depth of 80 µm is directed to the spherical center. The inner radius of the spherical grid is 40 mm. The holed area corresponds to an acceptance angle of ±52°. The E/ΔE of an RFA equipped with the developed holed grid was estimated to be 2000 from a measured Au 4f photoemission spectrum. A clear photoelectron hologram was observed in the Mo 4p core-level region of MoS2, indicating that the RFA with the holed grid is effective for photoelectron holography.