Overview of the instrumentation and control system for the IGNIS-2 surface science facility

The new IGNIS-2 in-situ surface science facility at Penn State will support innovative measurements of plasma-material interaction research, particularly focused on tungsten alloys, mixed-material surface chemistry, and liquid lithium films. IGNIS-2 will incorporate material characterization techniques such as X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometry, Thermal Desorption Spectrometry, Raman Spectroscopy, and optical techniques to measure the chemical composition and morphology of materials during ion irradiation. The IGNIS-2 Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system will play a critical role in experimentation. Thus, we have dedicated effort to both the design and development of this system. I&C system software will help automate the experimental process by performing DAQ functions and running diagnostic tests on equipment as needed. The main functions of the I&C software will be to monitor pressure gauges, to actuate gate valves, vacuum pumps, and motors for sample manipulators, and to record experimental data in real time. The software will be written using the LabVIEW visual programming platform, which will display user-controllable panels that will communicate directly with the various IGNIS-2 components. In addition to software, a variety of commercial hardware components will be used to integrate the software with the individual sensors and actuators. The software and hardware will work together to provide an I&C system that will ensure the safety and reproducibility of our experiments.