The authors study the nanomechanical and microtribological properties of yttrium (Y) thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on Cu polycrystalline substrates. Nanoindentation tests reveal that such films have a high hardness of H = 2.3 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 71.7 GPa with respect to the Cu substrates. The friction coefficient between a diamond tip and the Y film reaches a steady state value of μ ∼ 0.34, lower than that for the Cu (μ ∼ 0.38). Moreover, nanoscratch experiments show that Y films are more scratch-resistant than the Cu substrates, probably due to their greater hardness, higher elastic recovery, and lower friction coefficient. Their results confirm that the mechanical and tribological properties of the Y films are suitable for designing and fabricating scratch-resistant hybrid photocathodes and can reduce instabilities and unwanted discharges in the cavity of the radio-frequency gun. Furthermore, the low surface roughness and the low work function of the material are important characteristics for a photocathode based on the Y thin film for the production of high-brightness electron beams.
Nanomechanical and microtribological properties of yttrium thin films for photocathode engineering
Lorusso A.
;Perrone A.;Gontad F.
2019-01-01
Abstract
The authors study the nanomechanical and microtribological properties of yttrium (Y) thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition on Cu polycrystalline substrates. Nanoindentation tests reveal that such films have a high hardness of H = 2.3 GPa and a reduced elastic modulus of 71.7 GPa with respect to the Cu substrates. The friction coefficient between a diamond tip and the Y film reaches a steady state value of μ ∼ 0.34, lower than that for the Cu (μ ∼ 0.38). Moreover, nanoscratch experiments show that Y films are more scratch-resistant than the Cu substrates, probably due to their greater hardness, higher elastic recovery, and lower friction coefficient. Their results confirm that the mechanical and tribological properties of the Y films are suitable for designing and fabricating scratch-resistant hybrid photocathodes and can reduce instabilities and unwanted discharges in the cavity of the radio-frequency gun. Furthermore, the low surface roughness and the low work function of the material are important characteristics for a photocathode based on the Y thin film for the production of high-brightness electron beams.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
