Operational characteristics of a plasma cathode with a grid stabilization in a two-stage ion source

The discharge characteristics and the parameters of the cathode plasma in a two-stage ion source with a grid plasma cathode and a magnetic trap in the anode region are investigated. It is shown that an increase in the gas pressure and the accompanying increase in the reverse ion current in the bipolar diode between the cathode and anode plasmas lead to an increase in the cathode plasma potential and a transition of the cathode into the regime of electron emission from the open plasma boundary. The dependence of the ion current extracted from the anode plasma on the area of the exit aperture of the hollow cathode and the mesh size of the grid plasma cathode is explained. The conditions at which the ion emission current from the anode plasma is maximum are determined. The potential difference at the bipolar diode is measured by using the probe method. It is shown that, when the gas pressures reaches a critical value determined by the mesh size of the grid plasma cathode, the discharge passes into a contracted operating mode, in which the ion current extracted from the anode plasma decreases severalfold.