Ablation of metals by a channelspark electron beam

Summary form only given. A new experiment has been constructed for ablation of materials by a channelspark electron beam. This experiment has the goal of electron beam ablative deposition of thin films. The channelspark (pseudospark) generator obtained from Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe has operating parameters: V=15-20 kV, 1/spl les/1.5 kA, and pulselength of /spl sim/100 ns in a beam diameter of /spl les/2 mm. Initial experiments are concentrating on characterization of the channelspark electron beam generation at different pressures. Electron beam ablation of metals (Al and Fe) is being investigated by collected e-beam current measurements and optical diagnostics. Target analysis is compared between e-beam ablation and KrF laser ablation to elucidate the differences in the physical mechanisms. Electron beam energy deposition has been modeled by the ITS-TIGER code of Sandia National Labs. The electron beam energy deposition profile can be utilized to predict the temperature profile induced in the metal target.