Study of etching rate uniformity in SRF cavities

Plasma based surface modification is a promising alternative to wet etching of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities. The crucial aspect of the technology development is dependence of the etching rate and surface roughness on the frequency of the power supply, pressure, power level, driven electrode shape and chlorine concentration in the gas mixture during plasma processing. To optimize the plasma parameters, we are using a single cell cavity with 20 sample holders symmetrically distributed over the cell. These holders are used as diagnostic ports for the measurement of the plasma parameters and as holders for the samples to be etched. The plasma properties are highly correlated with the shape of the driven electrode and chlorine concentration in the Argon/Chlorine gas mixtures.