Laser Processed Oxygen-Free High-Conductivity Copper with Ti and Ti-Zr-V-Hf Films Applied in Neutron Tube

The laser processing method has proven to produce surfaces while ensuring a low secondary electron yield of oxygen-free high-conductivity copper (OFHC) samples, making it attractive for electron cloud mitigation in next-generation particle accelerators and neutron tubes. In this work, the laser processing method is proposed to OFHC targets for the first time, aiming to reduce the secondary electrons in the neutron tube. The secondary electron yields (SEYs) and the thermal conductivities of Ti film and quaternary Ti-Zr-V-Hf films with unprocessed and laser processed OFHC substrates are investigated. Our results highlight that the thermal conductivity of Ti film with laser processed OFHC substrates is in proximity to the cleaned bare OFHC sample, especially at high temperatures. Moreover, the SEY of coated OFHC substrates are higher than that of coated laser processed substrates, which indicates the better secondary electron suppression capability of coated laser processed substrates. Therefore, the thermal conductivity and SEY results illustrate that the application of Ti and Ti-Zr-V-Hf coated laser processed OFHC can be considered to improve the neutron yield in neutron tubes in the future.