Performance study on the low-power RF ion thruster with an optimized grid system

Abstract

A low-power 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) ion thruster with an optimized grid system was developed and its performance was experimentally evaluated. The thruster employs an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source and a two-grid ion optics system. Optimization of the screen grid (SG) and acceleration grid (AG) was performed using ion beam trajectory simulations. The performance measurement demonstrated a maximum thrust of 1.2 mN and a specific impulse of 1250 s at an RF power of 100 W and a xenon flow rate of 1 SCCM (0.1 mg/s). The study also investigated the influence of SG voltage and RF power on thruster performance, and simulation results confirmed the experimentally observed ion beam current behavior. The developed RF ion thruster shows a promising potential for mini- and microsatellite propulsion system.