INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavity performance is highly dependent on surface preparation. Conventionally, electropolishing (EP) is used to achieve a clean surface and low roughness for both Nb and Cu substrates, but it requires harsh and corrosive solutions like concentrated acids. Plasma Electrolytic Polishing (PEP) is a promising alternative that uses only diluted salt solutions and has several advantages over EP. PEP can replace intermediate steps like mechanical or chemical polishing, thanks to its superior removal rate of up to 2-8 um/min of Nb and 3-30 um/min of Cu. It achieves Ra roughness of 100 nm for both substrates and has a higher smoothing effect than EP. PEP is also suitable for normal conducting cavities and other accelerator components, including couplers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of PEP on SRF substrates and analyse substrate defect evaluation. We demonstrate the application of PEP onto SRF substrates and analyse the substrate’s defect evaluation. The ongoing work includes Nb bulk and Nb on Cu QPR treatments and RF tests in collaboration with HZB.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
The I.FAST collaboration aims at pushing the performance of particle accelerators by developing sustainable innovative technologies. Among its goals, the development of thin film-coated copper elliptical accelerating cavities covers both the optimization of the manufacturing of seamless substrates and the development of functional coatings able to conform to the 3D cavity geometry while delivering the needed performance. For the latter, the optimization of the deposition recipe is central to a successful outcome. The work presented here focuses on the deposition of Nb₃Sn films on flat, small copper samples. The films are deposited via DCMS from a planar stoichiometric Nb₃Sn commercial target. The results of the film characterization are presented here. The observed dependencies between the film properties and, in particular, Tc(90%-10%) = (17.9±0.1)K is reported for Nb₃Sn on sapphire and Tc(90%-10%) = (16.9±0.2)K for Nb₃Sn on copper with a 30 micron thick niobium buffer layer.
Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
LNF-INFN, Frascati, Italy
INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Univ. degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
INFN-Salerno, Baronissi, Salerno, Italy
Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois, USA
The search for dark matter is now looking at ALPs (axion-like particles) as a very promising candidate to understand our universe. Within this framework, we explore the possibility to use NbTi thin film coatings on Cu resonating cavities to investigate the presence of axions in the range of 35-45 µeV mass by coupling the axion to a very strong magnetic field inside the cavity, causing its conversion to a photon which is subsequently detected. In this work the chemical treatments and DC magnetron sputtering details of the preparation of 9 GHz, 7 GHz, and 3.9 GHz resonant cavities and their quality factor measurements at different applied magnetic fields are presented.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
CEA-IRFU, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
STFC/DL/ASTeC, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Cockcroft Institute, Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom
CEA-DRF-IRFU, France
Piccoli, Noale (VE), Italy
INFN/LASA, Segrate (MI), Italy
INFN- Sez. di Padova, Padova, Italy
The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, Orsay, France
University Siegen, Siegen, Germany
HZB, Berlin, Germany
University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
Cockcroft Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia
HZDR, Dresden, Germany
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
IEE, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
STFC/DL, Daresbury, Warrington, Cheshire, United Kingdom
JLab, Newport News, Virginia, USA
Thin-film cavities with higher Tc superconductors (SC) than Nb promise to move the operating temperature from 2 to 4.5 K with savings 3 orders of magnitude in cryogenic power consumption. Several European labs are coordinating their efforts to obtain a first 1.3 GHz cavity prototype through the I.FAST collaboration and other informal collaborations with CERN and DESY. R&D covers the entire production chain. In particular, new production techniques of seamless Copper and Niobium elliptical cavities via additive manufacturing are studied and evaluated. New acid-free polishing techniques to reduce surface roughness in a more sustainable way such as plasma electropolishing and metallographic polishing have been tested. Optimization of coating parameters of higher Tc SC than Nb (Nb₃Sn, V₃Si, NbTiN) via PVD and multilayer via ALD are on the way. Finally, rapid heat treatments such as Flash Lamp Annealing and Laser Annealing are used to avoid or reduce Cu diffusion in the SC film. The development and characterization of SC coatings is done on planar samples, 6 GHz cavities, choke cavities, QPR and 1.3 GHz cavities. This work presents the progress status of these coordinated efforts.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
Nb₃Sn thin films on bulk Nb cavities exhibit comparable performance to bulk Nb at lower temperatures, and using Cu as a substrate material can further improve performance and reduce costs. However, coating substrates with curved geometries like elliptical cavities can be challenging due to the brittleness of Nb₃Sn targets produced by a classical sintering technique. This work explores the use of the Liquid Tin Diffusion (LTD) technique to produce sputtering targets for 6 GHz elliptical cavities, which allows for the deposition of thick and uniform coatings on Nb substrate, even for complex geometries. The study includes improvements in the LTD process and the production of a single-use LTD target, as well as the characterization of Nb₃Sn films coated by DC magnetron sputtering using these innovative targets.
INFN/LNL, Legnaro (PD), Italy
INFN- Sez. di Padova, Padova, Italy
Rösler Italiana s.r.l., Concorezzo, Italy
In this study, Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) was evaluated as a viable method for producing seamless 6 GHz pure copper and niobium prototypes without the use of internal supports. Preliminary tests were performed to evaluate printability, leading to further investigations into surface treatments to reduce surface roughness from 35 µm to less than 1 µm. Additional prototypes were printed using different powders and machines, exploring various printing parameters and innovative contactless supporting structures to improve the quality of downward-facing surfaces with small inclination angles. These structures enabled the fabrication of seamless SRF cavities with a relative density greater than 99.8%. Quality testing was conducted using techniques such as tomography, leak testing, resonant frequency assessment, and internal inspection. The results of this study are presented herein.