Method and system for measuring net sputter deposition rate of hall thruster

Abstract

The application provides a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method and system, and relates to the technical field of thrusters, comprising: obtaining a first initial mass corresponding to a first test piece, a second initial mass corresponding to a second test piece, and a ring cylinder initial mass corresponding to a thin-walled ring cylinder placed at the same height of the Hall thruster; obtaining a first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and a ring cylinder final mass corresponding to the thin-walled ring cylinder in the case that the Hall thruster is operated based on a first measurement condition; obtaining a second final mass corresponding to the second test piece in the case that the Hall thruster is operated based on a second measurement condition; and determining a net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster based on the initial masses and the final masses. The application can simplify the measurement process of the net sputtering deposition amount and the required equipment requirements, and improve the measurement accuracy of the net sputtering deposition amount.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thruster technology, and in particular to a method and system for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the measurement of erosion on the channel walls of Hall thrusters mainly relies on two technical approaches. One is a direct measurement method involving post-experiment disassembly and weighing, which estimates the total erosion by comparing the mass difference of key channel components before and after thruster operation. The other mainstream method uses in-situ observation with optical diagnostic techniques such as laser-induced fluorescence or mass spectrometry. This method works by detecting the spectral signals or particle mass numbers of sputtered products in the plasma to invert the erosion rate; this type of method enables non-contact measurement.

[0003] However, while direct measurement methods are simple in principle, they cannot separate the dynamically coexisting sputtering and deposition processes, and the errors introduced during the assembly and disassembly process make it difficult to achieve accurate measurement of microgram-level mass changes. Optical diagnostic methods rely on expensive equipment and complex calibration models, and there is significant uncertainty in the conversion between spectral intensity and actual mass loss, resulting in measurement results that are more biased towards semi-quantitative analysis. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and system for measuring net sputtering deposition rate of Hall thrusters, which can improve the measurement accuracy of net sputtering deposition rate while simplifying the measurement process and the required equipment.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster, wherein multiple mounting slots are provided on both the inner and outer walls of the discharge channel of the Hall thruster, and the method includes:

[0006] The first initial mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass of the thin-walled annulus placed at the same height as the Hall thruster are obtained; wherein, the first test piece is a test piece made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering characteristics, and the second test piece is a test piece made of the wall material of the discharge channel;

[0007] When the Hall thruster is operated based on the first measurement conditions, the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece and the final mass of the ring corresponding to the thin-walled ring are obtained; wherein, the first measurement conditions are: the first measuring piece is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second measuring piece is embedded in the other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster.

[0008] When the Hall thruster is operated based on the second measurement conditions, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece is obtained; wherein, the second measurement conditions are: the second measuring piece is embedded in the mounting slot at the axial position to be measured and other mounting slots in the Hall thruster;

[0009] Based on the first initial mass and first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined.

[0010] In one embodiment, the mounting groove is a fan-shaped groove, and the mounting groove is disposed on the inner wall and the outer wall along the axial direction of the discharge channel; wherein, at a plurality of predetermined axial positions, corresponding mounting grooves are provided on the inner wall and the outer wall, and the inner wall mounting groove and the outer wall mounting groove at the same axial position are aligned radially.

[0011] In one implementation, when the Hall thruster is operated based on first measurement conditions, obtaining the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus includes:

[0012] Under the condition that the Hall thruster meets the first measurement condition, the Hall thruster is operated according to the target operating condition, and the amount of deposits from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster is received through the thin-walled annulus, and the Hall thruster is stopped when the preset operating time is reached.

[0013] After the Hall thruster is cooled, the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and the final mass of the ring corresponding to the thin-walled ring are obtained.

[0014] In one implementation, when the Hall thruster is operated based on second measurement conditions, obtaining the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece includes:

[0015] When the Hall thruster meets the second measurement condition, the Hall thruster is operated according to the target working condition, and the Hall thruster is stopped when the preset running time is reached.

[0016] After the Hall thruster cools down, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured is obtained.

[0017] In one embodiment, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, including:

[0018] Based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece and the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece are determined respectively; wherein, the first mass change value is used to describe the net deposition mass under the target working condition, and the second mass change value is used to describe the net result after the combined effect of sputtering effect and deposition effect under the target working condition;

[0019] Based on the first and second mass change values, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement results corresponding to the Hall thruster are determined.

[0020] In one embodiment, based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the annulus, the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece and the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece are determined, including:

[0021] Determine the mass difference between the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus;

[0022] Determine the first mass difference between the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, and take the difference between the first mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece;

[0023] Determine the second mass difference between the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and take the difference between the second mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece.

[0024] In one embodiment, determining the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster based on a first mass change value and a second mass change value includes:

[0025] The first mass change value is taken as the net deposition mass, and the net deposition rate is determined based on the net deposition mass and the exposed area of ​​the first or second test piece.

[0026] The difference between the second mass change value and the first mass change value is determined, and the difference is used as the net sputtering mass. Based on the net sputtering mass and the exposure area of ​​the first or second test piece, the net sputtering rate is determined.

[0027] The net deposition rate and / or net sputtering rate are used as the net sputtering deposition rate measurement results corresponding to the Hall thruster.

[0028] Secondly, the present invention also provides a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system, comprising:

[0029] The Hall thruster has multiple mounting slots on both the inner and outer walls of its discharge channel.

[0030] The test piece assembly includes a first test piece and a second test piece. The first test piece is made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering properties, and the second test piece is made of the wall material of the discharge channel. Under a first measurement condition, the first test piece is embedded in the mounting slot at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second test piece is embedded in other mounting slots in the Hall thruster. Under a second measurement condition, the second test piece is embedded in the mounting slot at the axial position to be measured and other mounting slots in the Hall thruster.

[0031] A thin-walled annular cylinder, placed at the same height as the Hall thruster, is used to receive the amount of deposited material from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster during operation of the Hall thruster based on the first measurement conditions.

[0032] The weight acquisition component is used to measure the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece, the second initial mass and the final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus.

[0033] A processor for executing the Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method provided in the first aspect.

[0034] Thirdly, the present invention also provides an electronic device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions executable by the processor, the processor executing the computer-executable instructions to implement any of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0035] Fourthly, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when invoked and executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement any of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0036] This invention provides a method and system for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster. The Hall thruster has multiple mounting slots on both the inner and outer walls of its discharge channel. First, the method acquires the first initial mass corresponding to a first test piece, the second initial mass corresponding to a second test piece, and the initial mass of a thin-walled annulus placed at the same height as the Hall thruster. The first test piece is made of a material with high inertia and high sputtering characteristics, and the second test piece is made of the wall material of the discharge channel. Then, under the first measurement conditions, the method acquires the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus. The measurement conditions are as follows: a first measuring piece is embedded in the mounting slot at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and a second measuring piece is embedded in the other mounting slots in the Hall thruster. Then, under the second measurement conditions, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece is obtained. The second measurement conditions are: a second measuring piece is embedded in both the mounting slot at the axial position to be measured and the other mounting slots in the Hall thruster. Finally, based on the first initial mass and first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece, the second initial mass and second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece, and the initial mass and final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the annulus, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined. This method, by combining dual measuring piece comparison, thin-walled annulus background correction, and position exchange averaging, combines the high reliability of direct weighing with sophisticated experimental design. It only requires a conventional high-precision microbalance to obtain the mass, achieving in-situ, high-precision separation measurement of net sputtering rate and deposition rate. The cost is far lower than optical diagnostics, providing a reliable and easy-to-implement new approach for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of thrusters.

[0037] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention are realized and obtained in accordance with the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings.

[0038] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0040] Figure 1A schematic flowchart of a method for measuring net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the test piece mounting slot position for a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the inner and outer wall surface measuring plates and thin-walled annulus at different angles of a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of another method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Icons: 1-Inner wall; 2-Outer wall; 3-Inner wall mounting groove; 4-Outer wall mounting groove; 5-Glass test piece; 6-Channel inner wall material test piece; 7-Thin-walled ring cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] Currently, direct measurement methods, while simple in principle, cannot separate the dynamically coexisting sputtering and deposition processes. Furthermore, errors introduced during assembly and disassembly make precise measurement of microgram-level mass changes difficult to achieve. Optical diagnostic methods rely on expensive equipment and complex calibration models, and the conversion between spectral intensity and actual mass loss exhibits significant uncertainty, leading to measurement results that are more inclined towards semi-quantitative analysis. Therefore, this invention provides a method and system for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster, which can simplify the measurement process and reduce the required equipment while improving the measurement accuracy of net sputtering deposition.

[0048] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, a detailed description of the method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster disclosed in this embodiment of the invention will be provided first. The inner and outer walls of the discharge channel of the Hall thruster are provided with multiple mounting slots. (See [link to documentation]). Figure 1 The diagram shows a flow chart of a method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster. The method mainly includes the following steps S102 to S108:

[0049] Step S102: Obtain the first initial mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass of the thin-walled annulus placed at the same height as the Hall thruster; wherein, the first test piece is a test piece made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering characteristics (e.g., a glass test piece), and the second test piece is a test piece made of the wall material of the discharge channel (referred to as the channel wall material test piece).

[0050] Step S104: Under the condition of operating the Hall thruster based on the first measurement conditions, obtain the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece and the final mass of the ring corresponding to the thin-walled ring; wherein, the first measurement conditions are: the first measuring piece is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second measuring piece is embedded in the other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster.

[0051] Step S106: Under the condition of operating the Hall thruster based on the second measurement conditions, obtain the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece; wherein, the second measurement conditions are: the second measuring piece is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured and other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster.

[0052] Step S108: Based on the first initial mass and first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, determine the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster.

[0053] The Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method provided in this invention combines the high reliability of direct weighing with a sophisticated experimental design by using a combination of dual-sample comparison, thin-walled annular background correction and position exchange averaging. It only requires a conventional high-precision microbalance to obtain the mass, and can achieve in-situ, high-precision separation measurement of net sputtering rate and deposition rate. The cost is far lower than that of optical diagnostics, providing a reliable and easy-to-implement new approach for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of thrusters.

[0054] To facilitate understanding, this embodiment of the invention first explains the net sputtering deposition rate measurement system for a Hall thruster. This system is designed based on the actual structure of the Hall thruster channel to ensure accurate measurement with minimal interference. The system includes a Hall thruster, a measuring plate assembly, a thin-walled annular cylinder, and a weight acquisition assembly (such as a high-precision microbalance). Specifically:

[0055] (1) Hall thruster: see Figure 2The diagram shows the mounting slot position of a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system. The inner wall 1 and outer wall 2 of the discharge channel of the Hall thruster are provided with multiple mounting slots (referred to as inner wall mounting slot 3 and outer wall mounting slot 4, respectively). The mounting slots are fan-shaped grooves and are arranged on the inner and outer walls along the axial direction of the discharge channel. At multiple predetermined axial positions, corresponding mounting slots are provided on both the inner and outer walls, and the inner wall mounting slot and the outer wall mounting slot at the same axial position are radially aligned.

[0056] In one specific implementation, the Hall thruster is a standard commercial or experimental thruster with four specific mounting slots on both the inner wall 1 and outer wall 2 of its channel. These mounting slots are two independent fan-shaped grooves distributed on the inner and outer walls of the thruster, located at different positions along the channel axis. The two mounting slots on the inner and outer walls at the same axial position are aligned to ensure a consistent plasma environment for the two probes. The dimensions of the mounting slots are precisely designed to ensure that the surface of the probe is flush with the inner wall of the channel after insertion, minimizing interference with the original plasma flow field.

[0057] (2) Test piece assembly: See Figure 3 The diagram shows a Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system with inner and outer wall plates and a thin-walled annulus at different angles. The plate assembly includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate is made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering characteristics, such as a glass plate 5. The second plate is made of the wall material of the discharge channel and is referred to as the channel wall material plate 6. Under the first measurement condition, the first plate is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second plate is embedded in other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster. Under the second measurement condition, the second plate is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster and in other mounting grooves.

[0058] In one specific embodiment, the probe assembly includes a glass probe and a channel wall material probe. The probe is a fan-shaped thin sheet structure that can be completely embedded in pre-cut grooves on the inner and outer walls of the channel. If the net sputtering deposition rate of the inner wall 1 of the channel is being measured, it is embedded in the groove of the inner wall 1; the same applies to the outer wall 2. When measuring the net sputtering deposition rate at a certain axial position, other grooves already cut on the channel wall can be installed as wall material probes and remain unchanged throughout the measurement process to minimize the influence of the wall grooves. The probe angle can be selected from various angles such as 45°, 90°, and 120°, depending on the actual situation of the thruster and the ease of assembly. The angle of the probe refers to the angle between a point on the axis of the discharge channel (i.e., the axial position) and the two endpoints of the probe. The glass probe 5 is made of a material with high inertness and a high sputtering threshold (such as quartz glass), which mainly undergoes a deposition process under plasma bombardment, and the sputtering effect is negligible. Therefore, the mass change measured by glass plate 5 is the total deposition amount (this value is the sum of thruster sputterings and vacuum chamber sputterings); the channel inner wall material plate 6 is made of the same material as the thruster channel wall (such as BN-SiO2 composite material), which will undergo both sputtering and deposition processes simultaneously. Therefore, the mass change of the channel wall material plate 6 should be the sum of the sputtered mass, the mass of thruster sputterings deposited, and the mass of vacuum chamber sputterings deposited.

[0059] (3) A thin-walled annular cylinder, placed at the same height as the Hall thruster, is used to receive the amount of deposited material from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster during the operation of the Hall thruster based on the first measurement conditions.

[0060] Please continue reading Figure 3 While the thruster is running, a lightweight thin-walled annulus 7 with the same structure as the discharge chamber is placed next to the thruster. During the test, the thin-walled annulus 7 only collects the amount of deposits from the vacuum chamber, which can be considered as the amount of deposits generated by the sputtering material from the vacuum chamber.

[0061] (4) Weight acquisition component, used to measure the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus. In one specific embodiment, a high-precision microbalance is used to measure the precise mass of the test pieces before and after the experiment, and its measurement accuracy needs to reach the microgram level to meet the measurement requirements of minute mass changes.

[0062] In addition, it may include a test piece mounting fixture made of a high-temperature resistant insulating material (such as boron nitride ceramic) for safely clamping, transporting and storing test pieces before and after the experiment to prevent them from being contaminated or damaged, and to ensure preparation before quality measurement.

[0063] (5) Processor for performing the Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method.

[0064] Based on the above system, this invention provides a specific implementation of a method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster. The devices involved mainly include: an inner wall 1 and an outer wall 2 of the Hall thruster channel, several inner wall mounting grooves 3 and outer wall mounting grooves 4 machined thereon, glass measuring plates 5 and channel inner wall material measuring plates 6 respectively embedded in the grooves, and a thin-walled annular cylinder 7 for eliminating sputtering errors in the vacuum chamber. See also... Figure 4 The flowchart of another method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster is shown, including: measuring the initial mass of the test piece and the thin-walled annulus; installing the test piece and the thin-walled annulus according to the actual situation of the thruster; measuring the mass change of the glass test piece after the first run of the thruster; replacing the glass test piece with a channel wall material test piece and installing them in the same groove; measuring the mass change of the test piece again after the second run of the thruster; and calculating the net sputtering rate and net deposition rate based on the measurement results.

[0065] In its specific implementation, this method mainly includes:

[0066] Step 1: Obtain the first initial mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus placed at the same height as the Hall thruster.

[0067] In practice, a test piece mounting fixture is used to clamp the glass test piece 5 and the channel inner wall material test piece 6 respectively, and a high-precision micro balance is used to measure and record their initial mass. Second initial mass The initial mass of the aforementioned thin-walled annulus was measured. .

[0068] Step 2, under the condition of operating the Hall thruster based on the first measurement conditions, obtaining the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, including: operating the Hall thruster according to the target operating conditions when the Hall thruster meets the first measurement conditions, and receiving the deposition amount from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster through the thin-walled annulus, and stopping the operation of the Hall thruster when the preset running time is reached; after the Hall thruster cools down, obtaining the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus.

[0069] The specific implementation process is as follows:

[0070] The weighed glass sample 5 is embedded into the pre-processed inner wall mounting groove 3 (or outer wall mounting groove 4) of the inner wall 1 (or outer wall 2) of the thruster channel, ensuring that its surface is flush with the inner wall of the channel and maintaining good electrical and thermal contact. At the same time, the aforementioned thin-walled annulus is placed at the same height as the thruster inside the vacuum chamber and kept stable.

[0071] The Hall thruster was operated under target conditions for at least 2 hours, a period sufficient to allow for significant observation of changes in the sample's mass. During this period, high-energy particles bombarded the sample surface, causing changes in its mass; these external mass changes were reflected by the mass changes in the thin-walled annulus.

[0072] After the thruster is shut down and cooled, the glass measuring plate 5 and the thin-walled ring cylinder are carefully removed from the mounting slot using the measuring plate mounting fixture.

[0073] The first final mass of glass sample 5 was measured again using a high-precision microbalance. Measure the final mass of the thin-walled annulus 7. .

[0074] Step 3, under the condition of operating the Hall thruster based on the second measurement conditions, obtain the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece, including: operating the Hall thruster according to the target working condition when the Hall thruster meets the second measurement conditions, and stopping the operation of the Hall thruster when the preset running time is reached; after the Hall thruster cools down, obtain the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured.

[0075] The specific implementation process is as follows:

[0076] Replace the glass gauge 5 with the wall material gauge 6, and run the Hall thruster for at least 2 hours under the target operating conditions. After the thruster is shut down and cooled, carefully remove the wall material gauge 6 from the mounting slot using the gauge installation fixture, and measure the second final mass of the wall material gauge 6 again using a high-precision micro balance. It should be noted that this process does not require the insertion of a thin-walled annulus.

[0077] Step 4: Based on the first initial mass and first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and final mass of the thin-walled annulus, determine the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster. Specifically, this includes:

[0078] Step 4.1: Based on the first initial mass and first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the annulus, determine the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece and the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece, respectively; wherein, the first mass change value is used to describe the net deposition mass under the target working condition, and the second mass change value is used to describe the net result after the combined effect of sputtering effect and deposition effect under the target working condition.

[0079] In one implementation:

[0080] Determine the mass difference between the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus;

[0081] Determine the first mass difference between the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, and take the difference between the first mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece;

[0082] Determine the second mass difference between the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and take the difference between the second mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece.

[0083] Step 4.2: Determine the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster based on the first mass change value and the second mass change value.

[0084] In one implementation:

[0085] The first mass change value is taken as the net deposition mass, and the net deposition rate is determined based on the net deposition mass and the exposed area of ​​the first or second test piece.

[0086] The difference between the second mass change value and the first mass change value is determined, and the difference is used as the net sputtering mass. Based on the net sputtering mass and the exposure area of ​​the first or second test piece, the net sputtering rate is determined.

[0087] Net deposition rate and / or net sputtering rate are used as the net sputtering deposition rate measurement results corresponding to the Hall thruster.

[0088] For step 4 mentioned above, this embodiment of the invention provides a specific implementation method, including:

[0089] The mass change of the glass sample (i.e., the first mass change value) is calculated by subtracting the influence of vacuum chamber sputtering from the mass change of the thin-walled annulus:

[0090] ;

[0091] This mass change This represents the net deposition mass under this operating condition. Similarly, the mass change of the material sample on the inner wall of the channel (i.e., the second mass change value) is calculated:

[0092] ;

[0093] This mass change This is the net result after the combined effects of sputtering and deposition. Calculate the net sputtering mass:

[0094] ;

[0095] Since the glass probe only deposits and does not sputter, its deposition amount represents the intensity of the deposition process. Subtracting this deposition amount from the net change in the wall material of the probe yields the net mass loss caused by sputtering. Dividing the net sputtered mass and net deposited mass by the thruster operating time and the probe's exposed area, respectively, yields the net sputtering rate and net deposition rate under this condition. Assuming the aforementioned calculation scheme, after deducting the influence of vacuum chamber sputtering, the calculated measurements are as follows:

[0096] (Increased mass, net deposition);

[0097] (Mass reduction, net effect is sputtering is stronger than deposition);

[0098] but:

[0099] Net sediment mass ;

[0100] Net sputtering quality ;

[0101] Net sputtering rate (A represents the cross-sectional area exposed by the test piece).

[0102] Based on the calculation results, the relative strengths of the sputtering and deposition processes under this operating condition can be quantitatively analyzed.

[0103] In summary, the Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method provided in this embodiment of the invention has at least the following characteristics:

[0104] (1) The embodiments of the present invention adopt a local grooving design with a limited circumferential angle. Traditional solutions would form continuous annular grooves, which would severely damage the integrity of the channel wall and significantly interfere with the near-wall conduction of electrons that maintain the stable operation of the thruster, resulting in distorted measurement data. In contrast, the embodiments of the present invention have independent fan-shaped grooves on the channel wall with an angle of less than 180°, which do not form a closed loop in any axial section; and during the measurement process, other grooves can be covered with the original wall material of the measuring piece, which has the least impact on the thruster performance and ensures accurate data.

[0105] (2) This embodiment of the invention achieves in-situ, quantitative, and separate measurement of sputtering and deposition processes through a sophisticated multi-stage comparative experimental design. Unlike post-hoc disassembly methods that can only obtain mixed net results or indirect optical diagnostics that rely on complex calibration, this embodiment of the invention employs two sequential experiments: the first experiment uses a glass sample where only deposition occurs to measure the net deposition amount; the second experiment uses a sample made of channel wall material in the exact same tank position to obtain the combined effect of sputtering and deposition. The mass loss caused by the pure sputtering effect can be separated through simple formula calculations. This in-situ measurement method ensures that the plasma environment in which the two measurements are conducted is completely consistent. Combined with a high-precision microbalance and thin-walled annular background correction, the measurement uncertainty is greatly reduced.

[0106] This invention provides an electronic device, specifically, the electronic device includes a processor and a memory; the memory stores a computer program, which, when run by the processor, executes the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0107] Figure 5 The present invention provides a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 100, which includes a processor 50, a memory 51, a bus 52 and a communication interface 53. The processor 50, the communication interface 53 and the memory 51 are connected through the bus 52. The processor 50 is used to execute executable modules, such as computer programs, stored in the memory 51.

[0108] The memory 51 may include high-speed random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Communication between this system network element and at least one other network element is achieved through at least one communication interface 53 (which can be wired or wireless), such as the Internet, wide area network, local area network, metropolitan area network, etc.

[0109] Bus 52 can be an ISA bus, PCI bus, or EISA bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 5 The symbol is represented by a single double-headed arrow, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0110] The memory 51 is used to store programs. After receiving an execution instruction, the processor 50 executes the programs. The method executed by the device for defining the flow process disclosed in any of the foregoing embodiments of the present invention can be applied to the processor 50 or implemented by the processor 50.

[0111] Processor 50 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of processor 50 or by instructions in software form. Processor 50 can be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this invention. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this invention can be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in memory 51. The processor 50 reads the information in memory 51 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0112] The computer program product of the readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present invention includes a computer-readable storage medium storing program code. The instructions included in the program code can be used to execute the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. For specific implementation, please refer to the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0113] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0114] Finally, it should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely specific implementations of the present invention, used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit it. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that any person skilled in the art can still modify or easily conceive of changes to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications, changes, or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster, characterized in that, The discharge channel of the Hall thruster has multiple mounting slots on both its inner and outer walls, referred to as the inner wall mounting slot and the outer wall mounting slot, respectively. It employs a circumferentially limited-angle local grooving design, with independent fan-shaped grooves on the channel wall surface, the angle of which is less than 180°. These grooves do not form a closed loop in any axial section. The method includes: The first initial mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass of the thin-walled annulus placed at the same height as the Hall thruster are obtained; wherein, the first test piece is a test piece made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering characteristics, the second test piece is a test piece made of the wall material of the discharge channel, the test piece has a fan-shaped thin sheet structure, and can be completely embedded in the grooves pre-cut in the inner and outer walls of the channel. The dimensions of the mounting groove are precisely designed to ensure that the surface of the test piece is flush with the inner wall of the channel after it is embedded; When the Hall thruster is operated based on the first measurement conditions, the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the first measuring piece are obtained; wherein, the first measurement conditions are: the first measuring piece is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second measuring piece is embedded in the other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster; the weighed first measuring piece is embedded in the pre-processed inner wall mounting groove of the thruster channel, or the weighed first measuring piece is embedded in the pre-processed outer wall mounting groove of the thruster channel. When the Hall thruster is operated based on the second measurement conditions, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece is obtained; wherein, the second measurement conditions are: the second measuring piece is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured and other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster; Based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the annulus, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined.

2. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting groove is a fan-shaped groove, and the mounting groove is arranged on the inner wall and the outer wall along the axial direction of the discharge channel; wherein, at a plurality of predetermined axial positions, the inner wall and the outer wall are provided with corresponding mounting grooves, and the inner wall mounting groove and the outer wall mounting groove at the same axial position are radially aligned.

3. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When the Hall thruster is operated based on the first measurement conditions, the first final mass corresponding to the first measuring piece and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus are obtained, including: When the Hall thruster meets the first measurement condition, the Hall thruster is operated according to the target operating condition, and the amount of deposited material from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster is received through the thin-walled annulus, and the Hall thruster is stopped when the preset operating time is reached; After the Hall thruster is cooled, the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece and the final mass of the annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus are obtained.

4. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, When the Hall thruster is operated based on the second measurement conditions, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece is obtained, including: When the Hall thruster meets the second measurement condition, the Hall thruster is operated according to the target operating condition, and the Hall thruster is stopped when the preset operating time is reached; After the Hall thruster cools down, the second final mass corresponding to the second measuring piece embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured is obtained.

5. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the annulus, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined, including: Based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, a first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece and a second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece are determined respectively; wherein, the first mass change value is used to describe the net deposition mass under the target working condition, and the second mass change value is used to describe the net result after the combined effect of sputtering effect and deposition effect under the target working condition; Based on the first mass change value and the second mass change value, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined.

6. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 5, characterized in that, Based on the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus, the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece and the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece are determined respectively, including: Determine the mass difference between the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus; Determine the first mass difference between the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, and take the difference between the first mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the first mass change value corresponding to the first test piece; Determine the second mass difference between the second initial mass and the second final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and take the difference between the second mass difference and the mass difference of the ring cylinder as the second mass change value corresponding to the second test piece.

7. The method for measuring the net sputtering deposition rate of a Hall thruster according to claim 5, characterized in that, Based on the first mass change value and the second mass change value, the net sputtering deposition rate measurement result corresponding to the Hall thruster is determined, including: The first mass change value is taken as the net deposition mass, and the net deposition rate is determined based on the net deposition mass and the exposed area of ​​the first or second test piece. The difference between the second mass change value and the first mass change value is determined, and the difference is used as the net sputtering mass. Based on the net sputtering mass and the exposure area of ​​the first or second test piece, the net sputtering rate is determined. The net deposition rate and / or the net sputtering rate are used as the net sputtering deposition rate measurement results corresponding to the Hall thruster.

8. A Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement system, characterized in that, include: The Hall thruster has multiple mounting slots on both the inner and outer walls of its discharge channel, referred to as the inner wall mounting slot and the outer wall mounting slot, respectively. It adopts a local grooving design with a limited circumferential angle. The channel wall has an independent fan-shaped groove with an angle of less than 180°, which does not form a closed loop in any axial section. The measuring plate assembly includes a first measuring plate and a second measuring plate. The first measuring plate is made of a material with high inertness and high sputtering properties. The second measuring plate is made of the wall material of the discharge channel. The measuring plate has a fan-shaped thin sheet structure and can be completely embedded in the grooves pre-cut on the inner and outer walls of the channel. The dimensions of the mounting grooves are precisely designed to ensure that the surface of the measuring plate is flush with the inner wall of the channel after embedding. Under the first measurement condition, the first measuring plate is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster, and the second measuring plate is embedded in the other mounting grooves in the Hall thruster. Under the second measurement condition, the second measuring plate is embedded in the mounting groove at the axial position to be measured in the Hall thruster and in the other mounting grooves. The weighed first measuring plate is embedded in the pre-processed inner wall mounting groove of the thruster channel, or the weighed first measuring plate is embedded in the pre-processed outer wall mounting groove of the thruster channel. A thin-walled annular cylinder, placed at the same height as the Hall thruster, is used to receive the amount of deposited material from the vacuum chamber in the Hall thruster during operation of the Hall thruster based on the first measurement conditions. The weight acquisition component is used to measure the first initial mass and the first final mass corresponding to the first test piece, the second initial mass and the final mass corresponding to the second test piece, and the initial mass and the final mass of the thin-walled annulus corresponding to the thin-walled annulus. A processor for executing the Hall thruster net sputtering deposition rate measurement method of claim 1.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, The method includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions executable by the processor, the processor executing the computer-executable instructions to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when invoked and executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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