Optimal RF Conditioning of Advanced Photon Source (APS) Fundamental Power Coupler

Experience at many laboratories regarding conditioning of RF Fundamental Power Couplers (FPC) has shown that it is a very apprehensive and laborious process. While the principle should remain unchanged, which is to gradually increase the rf power applied to the coupler while monitoring the vacuum level, the methodology is sometime different. With coupler lifetime being finite, some RF conditioning methods may be more conservative than others. The basic principle of coupler conditioning is to avoid the phenomena of metallisation, violent electrical discharges or other possible destructive phenomena. This document summarizes an optimized method which has demonstrated its effectiveness and for which the fundamental principles are: • Regulate RF power as a function of vacuum pressure around the coupler as fast as possible. • Apply a longer repetition period than the vacuum reading delay. • Follow the bare principle: low energy for low risk, by delivering pulses to the not yet conditioned coupler, initially of very short duration, and then increasingly wider. Results obtained with the latest Argonne National Laboratory - Advanced Photon Source (ANL-APS) FPC conditioning process is presented.