Impact of metallographic polishing on the RF properties of Niobium for SRF applications

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Hryhorenko, Oleksandr, Valente-Feliciano, Anne-Marie, Longuevergne, David, Antoine, Claire Zylberajch, Proslier, Thomas, Eozenou, Fabien, Kugele, Oliver, Keckert, Sebastian, Knobloch, Jens
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Hryhorenko, Oleksandr
Valente-Feliciano, Anne-Marie
Longuevergne, David
Antoine, Claire Zylberajch
Proslier, Thomas
Eozenou, Fabien
Kugele, Oliver
Keckert, Sebastian
Knobloch, Jens
author_facet Hryhorenko, Oleksandr
Valente-Feliciano, Anne-Marie
Longuevergne, David
Antoine, Claire Zylberajch
Proslier, Thomas
Eozenou, Fabien
Kugele, Oliver
Keckert, Sebastian
Knobloch, Jens
contents The performance of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities made of Niobium is tied to the quality of their inner surfaces exposed to the radio frequency (RF) waves. Future superconducting particle accelerators, because of their dimensions or the unprecedented stringent technical requirements, require the development of innovative surface processing techniques to improve processing reliability and if possible ecological footprint and cost, compared to conventional chemical processes. Metallographic polishing (MP) has emerged as a promising polishing technology to address these challenges. Previous studies focused on the characterization of the processed material surface at room temperature in the absence of RF waves. However, the evaluation of material properties, such as surface resistance under RF, at cryogenic temperature has failed, primarily due to the unavailability of devices capable of achieving the necessary resolution in the nanohm range. To overcome this limitation, a quadrupole resonator (QPR) has been utilized. The RF results demonstrate that the MP polishing, developed to preserve a high-quality niobium surface with very low surface resistance, is highly effective compared to conventional polishing. This conclusion is further supported by topography and microstructural analysis of the QPR top-hat samples, which revealed the clear superiority of the metallographic approach.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_16441
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impact of metallographic polishing on the RF properties of Niobium for SRF applications
Hryhorenko, Oleksandr
Valente-Feliciano, Anne-Marie
Longuevergne, David
Antoine, Claire Zylberajch
Proslier, Thomas
Eozenou, Fabien
Kugele, Oliver
Keckert, Sebastian
Knobloch, Jens
Accelerator Physics
Applied Physics
The performance of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities made of Niobium is tied to the quality of their inner surfaces exposed to the radio frequency (RF) waves. Future superconducting particle accelerators, because of their dimensions or the unprecedented stringent technical requirements, require the development of innovative surface processing techniques to improve processing reliability and if possible ecological footprint and cost, compared to conventional chemical processes. Metallographic polishing (MP) has emerged as a promising polishing technology to address these challenges. Previous studies focused on the characterization of the processed material surface at room temperature in the absence of RF waves. However, the evaluation of material properties, such as surface resistance under RF, at cryogenic temperature has failed, primarily due to the unavailability of devices capable of achieving the necessary resolution in the nanohm range. To overcome this limitation, a quadrupole resonator (QPR) has been utilized. The RF results demonstrate that the MP polishing, developed to preserve a high-quality niobium surface with very low surface resistance, is highly effective compared to conventional polishing. This conclusion is further supported by topography and microstructural analysis of the QPR top-hat samples, which revealed the clear superiority of the metallographic approach.
title Impact of metallographic polishing on the RF properties of Niobium for SRF applications
topic Accelerator Physics
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.16441