Speaker
Description
Ion beam irradiation has the potential to be used as a surrogate for neutron irradiation of candidate core structural materials. Ion beam irradiation offers materials damage levels not accessible by neutron irradiation in test reactors due to time and cost constraints. However, a reproducible ion beam irradiation experiment requires close control of irradiation parameters and conditions, such as ion beam current, temperature, vacuum, and contamination control.
The Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, is a charter laboratory of the NSUF (National Scientific User Facility) and plays a significant role in supporting the U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy mission. MIBL houses 3 MV and 1.7 MV tandem accelerators and a 400 kV single-ended accelerator. MIBL provides single, dual, and triple beam irradiation capabilities and single and dual beam in situ capabilities in a 300 kV transmission electron microscope (TEM). The lab can conduct irradiations with large beam fluences, ultra-high vacuum chambers, and full remote control of irradiation conditions. At MIBL, experimental conditions are controlled to within very tight specifications. This presentation will focus on the features of conducting well-controlled ion beam irradiation experiments at MIBL. A brief introduction to the control and data acquisition system will be presented.
