Material deposition measurements from a Hall thruster using a Cryogenic Quartz Crystal Microbalance

The problem of deposition on sensitive surfaces of eroded material from the discharge chamber ceramic walls of Hall thrusters is one of the main concerns which still prevent the wide diffusion of these devices to commercial satellite applications. This paper describes the experimental activity performed using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance for deposition measurements. A QCM is a sensor which can detect very small changes in the mass of its sense quartz crystal, providing a real-time measurement of deposited material with a sensitivity of the order of an atomic layer. This paper describes the preparation work performed for the use of the QMC and the collected experimental results