Application · 13.56 MHz
Helicon and ICP thrusters
A magnetic-nozzle helicon or inductively coupled source is a high-Q RF load that moves with operating point. This is where adaptive matching earns its place.
- The load. Published helicon work describes a series inductance and a small resistance that moves non-monotonically with field, flow and thermal state, and steps at ignition.
- What we supply. Close to the entire PPU here: the RF PPU plus the adaptive matching network that tracks the discharge.
- Design point 13.56 MHz, for switching efficiency and the component ecosystem. Not yet validated against a specific thruster, that is what a design partnership is for.
Public references
The UC3M and SENER HPT05 helicon programme, T4i's REGULUS, and IRS Stuttgart's inductive plasma thruster line are open examples of the architecture. For the coupling and matching theory, Guittienne's Resonant Network Antennas for RF Plasma Sources is the standard reference. Background: impedance matching networks for RF plasma thrusters.
Building a helicon or ICP thruster?
Tell us how the impedance moves on your source and how you drive it today.
Talk to our engineering team