Erosion of accel grids of ion engine due to sputtering

The erosion rates of extraction electrodes of ion sources due to ion beam irradiation are largely affected by amount of projectiles retained in the electrodes. A Monte Carlo simulation code ACAT has been used to calculate sputtering yields and reflection coefficients by simulating the accumulation effect of projectiles in a target material. The results for Xe projectiles-C target combination have indicated that both sputtering yields and reflection coefficients are largely enhanced by Xe retention, particularly at larger incident angle for the surface normal with low incident energy.