Influence of the plasma on ICRF antenna voltage limits

An ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) probe [F.W. Baity, G.C. Barber, V. Bobkov, R.H. Goulding, J.-M. Noterdaeme, D.W. Swain, in: 14th Topical Conference on Radiofrequency Power in Plasmas, Oxnard 2001, AIP Conference Proceedings 595, AIP, Melville, NY, 2001, p. 510] has been implemented to study voltage stand-off of the ICRF antennas on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG). The probe was operated at first in a test stand where features of high RF voltage operation in vacuum and plasma created by an ion source of the Hall type [Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 8 (1999) R1] were studied. Vacuum arcs as well as ignition of high voltage glow discharge are candidate processes to explain voltage limits of the ICRF antennas. The setup on AUG was used to expose high RF voltages in real conditions of the tokamak scrape-off layer which are faced by the ICRF antennas. It is found that high voltage breakdown on the ICRF antenna is often correlated with ELM activity. The maximal RF voltage increased from shot to shot, i.e. the conditioning effect is observed. For the good-conditioned ICRF probe it was shown experimentally that the voltage limit can be increased while the rectified current is suppressed at the same time.