Prototype design and manufacturing method of an 8 cm diameter RF ion thruster

Among the various types of plasma thrusters developed over the last few decades for in-space propulsion applications of satellites and spacecrafts, Hall effect thrusters and ion engines are the most studied ones. The work at Bogazici University is concentrated on radio frequency ion thrusters. In this paper the design and manufacturing methods of the BURFIT-80 (Bogazici University Radio Frequency Ion Thruster-80) are explained. The BURFIT-80 is an experimental ion thruster and will be tested in the vacuum chamber at Bogazici University. The Ion Thruster has a cylindrical discharge chamber having an inner diameter and outer of diameter of 80 mm and 88 mm respectively, with a length of 72 mm. A double grid system with 91 holes is implemented. Preliminary calculations suggest that the thruster will generate thrust in the range of 2 to 6 mN. A discussion on material selection and manufacturing methods is presented for the production of the prototype.