MODERNIZATION OF THE ESU-2 ACCELERATOR COMPLEX FOR RADIATION EFFECTS RESEARCH AND ION-BEAM ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The modernization of ion accelerator facilities is essential for expanding experimental capabilities in radiation materials science and ion-beam analytical research. This work presents the modernization of the ESU-2 electrostatic accelerator complex, aimed at improving the stability, accuracy, and automation of ion-beam experiments. The implemented upgrades included optimization of the beam energy stabilization system through redesign of the control electrode assembly, automated positioning of the corona electrode using a linear actuator, replacement of obsolete analog electronics with modern high-speed integrated circuits, development of a wide-range microcontroller-based beam current integrator operating over the range of 0.001…5 μA, and implementation of a digital sample positioning system based on servo drives and ATmega microcontrollers. These modifications significantly improved beam energy stability, increased the accuracy of beam current and ion fluence measurements, enhanced the precision and repeatability of sample positioning, and reduced the time required for accelerator tuning and experiment preparation. The modernization also established a scalable hardware architecture for future integration of additional accelerator subsystems and advanced control functions.