ISSN:
1089-7623
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
,
Electrical Engineering, Measurement and Control Technology
Notes:
The fabrication of molecular beam "skimmers" from electrical discharge machining (EDM) graphite is reported. EDM graphite is highly refractory and is easily machined using conventional cutting and grinding techniques. In its most fine-grained form, EDM graphite can be machined free-standing to a knife-edge lip radius of ∼1 μm, providing excellent skimmer aerodynamics. Being refractory, such EDM skimmers are of particular interest in sampling or collimating high-temperature plasma discharges. Our explicit application is in skimming an electrical discharge supersonic free-jet of molecular nitrogen, forming a molecular beam of A 3Σu+ metastable N2 to be used in the heteroepitaxial growth of III–N wide-band-gap semiconductors. In view of the their economy, ease of manufacture, and excellent aerodynamics, the skimmers may also find use in skimming conventional, nondischarge supersonic free-jets. The performance of the EDM skimmers was tested in a conventional helium supersonic free-jet expansion, measuring the time-of-flight distribution and beam intensity as a function of nozzle pressure and nozzle-skimmer separation. Direct comparison with commercial nickel and copper skimmers showed the EDM graphite skimmers to perform nearly as well as the best commercial metal skimmers. The refractory properties of the skimmers were tested in a high-temperature arc-discharge supersonic free-jet expansion of 10% nitrogen in argon. Exposure to a plasma plume of ∼7500 K for over 6 h produced only relatively minor deterioration of the EDM graphite skimmer. © 1999 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1149645
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