Low energy Xe+ sputter yields for alumina, Hiperco 50, and boron nitride

Electric thruster materials are often subject to erosion during normal device operation. As a result of the ion sputtering process, surface properties can be affected or the underlying material may be exposed, possibly compromising performance and/or lifetime. It is therefore important to know both the energy and angle dependence of total sputter yield for relevant materials so that these effects can be predicted. In this study, we have obtained limited datasets on three materials with applications in electric propulsion development, thruster-spacecraft integration, and other technological areas—alumina, Hiperco 50, and HP boron nitride—in order to augment the material properties database. For each case, angular profiles were obtained at a single ion incidence energy, and energy dependence was explored at normal incidence. The datasets have been least squares fitted, and the results were interpreted.