Radio frequency-compensated Langmuir probe with auxiliary double probes

A radio frequency (rf) compensation design using auxiliary double probes connected in parallel with a main measurement probe was developed for Langmuir probe diagnostics. This probe structure can reduce the sheath impedance of the main probe. In our probe design, the sheath capacitance of the probe can be increased and its sheath resistance can be decreased with increasing dc bias differential voltage between the auxiliary double probes. The I-V characteristic curve and electron energy distribution functions measured by our probe system had sufficient rf compensation performance in inductively coupled plasmas.     

Langmuir probe system for dusty plasmas under microgravity

This article describes a fully automated 2D-scanning Langmuir probe system for dusty plasmas under microgravity. The design combines necessary features such as random sampling, radio frequency compensation, and a compact mechanical design. The various aspects of the probe implementation and the contamination problem in the dusty plasma environment are discussed and the functionality of the system is demonstrated by measurements performed on parabolic flights.     

A maximum-likelihood algorithm for reduction of Langmuir probe data

The reduction of Langmuir triple and quadruple probe data, i.e., the determination of the electron temperature T(e) from the measured voltages and currents, requires the solution of an implicit transcendental equation in T(e), at every point in time. Random errors and noise in the measurements occasionally precludes solution of the equation, resulting in an indeterminate temperature at those times. We present a method for overcoming this problem that uses the method of maximum likelihood. The experimental uncertainties, assumed to be normally distributed, are used in solving the implicit equation in T(e). At every point in time, a likelihood function is calculated, and the temperature which maximizes this function is taken to be the solution T(e). The uncertainty in the resulting measurement is taken to be the width of the likelihood function. Examples of this technique are shown.     

Multichannel Langmuir probe for turbulence study in Heliotron J

New multichannel Langmuir probe system was developed and installed to Heliotron J. The objective of the new probe is to characterize basic turbulence property and the resulting transport in advanced helical configuration. The probe developed here consists of four sets of triple probe and one pin for floating potential measurement. Initial experiments in neutral beam heating plasma were conducted and fluctuation profile of radial and poloidal electric fields and Reynolds stress were estimated. For precise evaluation of the electric fields and Reynolds stress, a technique to compensate radial change of tilt angle between probe array and magnetic surface was proposed and applied to the initial results obtained in edge region of Heliotron J where the complicated magnetic structure exists.     

Electron energy distribution function in plasma determined using numerical simulations of multiple harmonic components on Langmuir probe characteristic: efficiency of the method

The method proposed to determine the electron energy distribution is based on the numerical simulation of the effect induced by a sinusoidal perturbation superimposed to the direct current voltage applied to the probe. The simulation is generating a multiple harmonic components signal over the rough experimental data. Each harmonic component can be isolated by means of finite impulse response filters. Then, the second derivative is deduced from the second harmonic component using the Taylor expansion. The efficiency of the method is proved first on simple cases and second on typical Langmuir probes characteristics recorded in the expansion of a microwave plasma containing argon or nitrogen-hydrogen gas mixture. Results obtained using this method are compared to those, which are determined using a classical Savitzsky-Golay filter.     

Mirror Langmuir probe: a technique for real-time measurement of magnetized plasma conditions using a single Langmuir electrode

A new method for the real-time evaluation of the conditions in a magnetized plasma is described. The technique employs an electronic "mirror Langmuir probe" (MLP), constructed from bipolar rf transistors and associated high-bandwidth electronics. Utilizing a three-state bias wave form and active feedback control, the mirror probe's I-V characteristic is continuously adjusted to be a scaled replica of the "actual" Langmuir electrode immersed in a plasma. Real-time high-bandwidth measurements of the plasma's electron temperature, ion saturation current, and floating potential can thereby be obtained using only a single electrode. Initial tests of a prototype MLP system are reported, proving the concept. Fast-switching metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors produce the required three-state voltage bias wave form, completing a full cycle in under 1 mus. Real-time outputs of electron temperature, ion saturation current, and floating potential are demonstrated, which accurately track an independent computation of these values from digitally stored I-V characteristics. The MLP technique represents a significant improvement over existing real-time methods, eliminating the need for multiple electrodes and sampling all three plasma parameters at a single spatial location.     

Means to remove electrode contamination effect of Langmuir probe measurement in space

Precaution to remove the serious effect of electrode contamination in Langmuir probe experiments has not been taken in many space measurements because the effect is either not understood or ignored. We stress here that one should pay extra attention to the electrode contamination effect to get accurate and reliable plasma measurements so that the long time effort for sounding rocket/satellite missions does not end in vain or becomes less fruitful. In this paper, we describe two main features of voltage-current characteristic curves associated with the contaminated Langmuir probe, which are predicted from the equivalent circuit model, which we proposed in 1970's. We then show that fast sweeping dc Langmuir probes can give reliable results in the steady state regime. The fast sweeping probe can also give reliable results in transient situations such as satellite moves through plasma bubble in the ionosphere where the electron density drastically changes. This fact was first confirmed in our laboratory experiment.     

Spatiotemporal temperature fluctuation measurements by means of a fast swept Langmuir probe array

Stationary Langmuir probe measurements of ion saturation current and floating potential in a plasma cannot give direct information on density and plasma potential fluctuations in the presence of temperature fluctuations. This problem can be avoided if the probe bias voltage is continuously swept faster than the fluctuation time scale, recording the current-voltage characteristic. This article reports the development of a spatiotemporal highly resolving Langmuir probe array with 15 fast swept tips, operating in the strongly magnetized, collisionless edge plasma of the Wendelstein 7-AS stellarator [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 31, 1579 (1989)]. The probe tips are aligned in the poloidal direction, the tip spacing is 2 mm, and the sweeping frequency is 1.4 MHz. Current and voltage data are sampled with 50 MHz. The high bandwidth of the measurement is achieved by placing miniaturized differential amplifiers close to the probe tips in order to do an impedance transform. The surface-mounting technology and an additional inverse feedback module are utilized, allowing for an input voltage range of +/-100 V, and a common mode rejection rate of 55 dB at 4 MHz, which is sufficient to resolve the nonlinear probe characteristic. For the evaluation of the data, a fit model for stationary probes is employed and found adequate. Changes of the plasma parameters during one voltage sweep are taken into account by a linear interpolation of the fit parameters. Spatio-temporal fluctuation data gained by a fast swept Langmuir probe array, which can be relevant for the turbulent radial transport of particles and energy, are presented.     

Langmuir probe study of reactive magnetron discharge plasma in a three-component gas atmosphere

Probe measurements of reactive magnetron-discharge plasma were conducted in order to optimize the operating modes and predict the results of a mid-frequency magnetron sputtering system for depositing Ti–O–N compositions. A method for probe-data processing is developed. This method allows the determination of the basic plasma parameters, such as the concentration and temperature of electrons and ions. In order to reduce the impact of data errors that are due to the proximity of the probe and magnetron-source frequencies, the current–voltage characteristic was measured 50–80 times; these data are interpolated and then averaged.     

High accuracy plasma density measurement using hybrid Langmuir probe and microwave interferometer method

High spatial resolution plasma density measurements have been taken as part of an investigation into magnetic nozzle physics at the NASA/MSFC Propulsion Research Center. These measurements utilized a Langmuir triple probe scanned across the measurement chord of either of two stationary rf interferometers. By normalizing the scanned profile to the microwave interferometer line-integrated density measurement for each electrostatic probe measurement, the effect of shot-to-shot variation of the line-integrated density can be removed. In addition, by summing the voltage readings at each radial position in a transverse scan, the line density can be reconstituted, allowing the absolute density to be determined, assuming that the shape of the profile is constant from shot to shot. The spatial and temporal resolutions of this measurement technique depend on the resolutions of the scanned electrostatic probe and the interferometer. The measurement accuracy is 9%-15%, which is on the order of the accuracy of the rf interferometer. The measurement technique was compared directly with both scanning rf interferometer and standard Langmuir probe theory. The hybrid technique compares favorably with the scanning rf interferometer, and appears more accurate than probe theory alone. Additionally, our measurement technique is generally applicable even for nonaxisymmetric plasmas.     

Biasing, acquisition, and interpretation of a dense Langmuir probe array in NSTX

A dense array of 99 Langmuir probes has been installed in the lower divertor region of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). This array is instrumented with a system of electronics that allows flexibility in the choice of probes to bias as well as the type of measurement (including standard swept, single probe, triple probe, and operation as passive floating potential and scrape-off-layer SOL current monitors). The use of flush-mounted probes requires careful interpretation. The time dependent nature of the SOL makes swept-probe traces difficult to interpret. To overcome these challenges, the single- and triple-Langmuir probe signals are used in complementary fashion to determine the temperature and density at the probe location. A comparison to midplane measurements is made.     

Plasma characterization of the superconducting proton linear accelerator plasma generator using a 2 MHz compensated Langmuir probe

The CERN study for a superconducting proton Linac (SPL) investigates the design of a pulsed 5 GeV Linac operating at 50 Hz. As a first step towards a future SPL H(-) volume ion source, a plasma generator capable of operating at Linac4 or nominal SPL settings has been developed and operated at a dedicated test stand. The hydrogen plasma is heated by an inductively coupled RF discharge e(-) and ions are confined by a magnetic multipole cusp field similar to the currently commissioned Linac4 H(-) ion source. Time-resolved measurements of the plasma potential, temperature, and electron energy distribution function obtained by means of a RF compensated Langmuir probe along the axis of the plasma generator are presented. The influence of the main tuning parameters, such as RF power and frequency and the timing scheme is discussed with the aim to correlate them to optimum H(-) ion beam parameters measured on an ion source test stand. The effects of hydrogen injection settings which allow operation at 50 Hz repetition rate are discussed.     

High density Langmuir probe array for NSTX scrape-off layer measurements under lithiated divertor conditions

A high density Langmuir probe array has been developed for measurements of scrape-off layer parameters in NSTX. Relevant scale lengths for heat and particle fluxes are 1-5 cm. Transient edge plasma events can occur on a time scale of several milliseconds, and the duration of a typical plasma discharge is ～1?s. The array consists of 99 individual electrodes arranged in three parallel radial rows to allow both swept and triple-probe operation and is mounted in a carbon tile located in the lower outer divertor of NSTX between two segments of the newly installed liquid lithium divertor. Initial swept probe results tracking the outer strike point through probe flux measurements are presented.     

Dynamical changes of ion current distribution for a Penning discharge source using a Langmuir probe array

A paralleled plate electrode and a 9-tip Langmuir probe array located 1 mm behind the extraction exit of a cold cathode Penning ion source are employed to measure the total current and the dynamical changes of the ion current in the 2D profile, respectively. Operation of the ion source by 500 V DC power supply, the paralleled plate electrode and the Langmuir probe array are driven by a bias voltage ranging from -200 V to 200 V. The dependence of the total current and the dynamical changes of the ion current in the 2D profile are presented at the different bias voltage. The experimental results show that the distribution of ion current is axial symmetry and approximate a unimodal distribution.     

新型悬丝约束支撑微纳测头的变刚度特性分析

针对传统微纳测量装置在测量过程中测头支撑机构刚度不可变化的问题,设计了一种基于悬丝约束支撑的变刚度微纳测头。利用压电装置驱动柔顺导向机构产生位移,以改变悬丝所受的轴向张紧力。基于应力刚化原理改变悬丝的横向刚度,进而改变测头支撑机构的整体刚度,以获得具有变刚度性能的新型微纳测头。根据测头支撑机构在测量过程中刚度的变化,分别建立刚性和柔性模式下微纳测头Z向和横向的刚度理论模型。根据有限元仿真和刚度理论模型,分别得到测头刚度随悬丝端面受力的变化曲线。对比测头刚度的仿真值和理论值,得到测头Z向和横向刚度的平均相对误差分别为2.41%和4.72%,结果表明理论模型具有较高的准确性。研究成果为该类型测头的变刚度控制奠定了前期理论基础。     

Reducing the surface force in diamond smoothing

Russian Engineering Research -     

Numerical smoothing of flow patterns

Two strategies are presented for smoothing the flow patterns obtained from grids photographically deposited on aluminium that is extruded through wedge shaped dies. The objective of the numerical procedures is to remove small irregularities from the flow and so smooth the data sufficiently to permit reasonably accurate computations of the strain-rates, total strains and directions of maximum shear strain-rate for use in further investigations of the flow fields. The strategies are based on the equalisation of the curvilinear quadrilateral areas which make up the flow pattern. In the first, the areas are computed using spline approximations to the segments of streamlines and transverselines whilst in the second the data sets are augmented by interpolating additional streamlines and transverselines between the original areas, and the areas computed using straight line approximations. Results from 30 and 60 degree half die angle extrusions are analysed and the strategies are shown to effectively smooth the flow as indicated by several quantitative and qualitative measures. The distributions of strain-rate, total strain and directions of maximum shear strain rate are more readily interpreted and applicable for further analysis.     

光推动R.C式敏感探头及其功率与信号通道的特性分析

本文论述了光纤传输光功率推动Ｒ（电阻）、Ｃ（电容）式敏感探头的原理、特性、功率通道与信号通道参数的选取方法及系统特性的测试结果。