Our in-air station is located at the end of our dedicated beam-line. The station consist of a rotating platform and a removable target mounting fixture. most users to our facility prefer the in-air station over the vacuum chamber due to its easy access for set-up and target changes.

Target Mounting

The mounting fixture for the in-air station has the same dimensions as the vacuum chamber mounting fixture. Specifications for a typical board to be mounted are detailed here . The mounting fixture is removable and is attached to a rotary platter. The platter is 15 1/4" in diameter and can hold a load up to 40 lbs. For mounting directly to the platter please refer to this drawing.

Target Positioning System

As with the vacuum chamber, The in-air station allows for the motion of the target in four directions:  X, Y, Z and Theta.  X and Y are the horizontal and the vertical axis in the target plane, respectively. The Z-axis is in the direction of the beam-line, with theta being the clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation about the y-axis.

Range of motion is listed below:

X-Axis: +6-3/4" / -7-1/8" about the beam-line center
Y-Axis: 13" from the platter to the beam-line center at its lowest position
Z-Axis: Frame is 1" from exit window at its closest position (you may offset your test board from the frame for a shorter air gap from the exit foil)
Theta: 90 degrees CCW / 78 degrees cw (looking up the beam line)

Target position verification is provided by the means of a CCD camera aligned with the beam path. a narrow laser beam attached to an electronic scale is used to determine the air gap distance between exit window and target. The aramica exit window has a 1"-Diameter opening. Our software allows you to account for air gaps and exit window thickness for range and LET calculations.The size and shape of the beam aperture may be altered using various collimators, with a 1" diameter opening being the largest available.

Tables giving beam energy, range and let at various distances from the foil can be found here.

Cabling

From a typical table top in the data room to top of the in-air platter is approximately 15-Feet. A bnc patch panel is also provided. Typical cable lengths from the patch panel to the target frame are approximately 3 to 5 feet. also provided, and permanently installed, are five ribbon cables, two DB9 serial cables, three DB25 serial cables, and two GPIB cables. These cables are approximately 25 feet in length.

KVM Extender

Also available if needed is KVM extender. This unit is useful when your equipment needs to be near your test set-up, but your mouse, keyboard and monitor need to be in the data-room. Our KVM extender is made by Black Box (model #ACU3001A).