SUPERCONDUCTING RF CAVITY DEVELOPMENT WITH UK INDUSTRY

As part of a STFC Industrial Programme Support Scheme (PIPSS) grant Daresbury Laboratory and Shakespeare Engineering Ltd have fabricated, processed and tested a single cell 1.3 GHz superconducting RF cavity, in collaboration with Jefferson Laboratory. The overall aim of the project through a knowledge exchange programme was to develop the capability of UK industry to fabricate and process a single cell niobium superconducting cavity, as part of a long term strategy to enable UK industry to address the large potential market for superconducting RF structures. As a means of measuring the performance of the fabrication and processing an objective of the programme of work was to achieve an accelerating gradient of greater than 15 MV/m at an unloaded quality factor of 1.0 x 10 10 or better. Three cavities were fabricated by Shakespeare Engineering, and electron beam welded at Jefferson Laboratory in the USA. Processing and testing of the cavities was then performed both at Jefferson Laboratory and at Daresbury Laboratory. The fabrication and process methods are discussed in this paper along with the results obtained from the testing performed in the vertical test facilities.