Joint functioning of a magnetron sputtering system and an end-hall ion source

The features of joint operation of a magnetron sputtering system (MSS) and an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) are investigated. It is noted that the initiation of the magnetron discharge leads to partial or complete neutralization of the ion beam generated by the EHIS; in other words, in some regimes of the MSS, the ion source operates in the filament-free regime. In such a case, the magnetron discharge is the source of electrons required for sustaining the discharge and for compensating the ion beam from the EHIS. The dependences of the discharge characteristics of the EHIS and MSS are established when a filament neutralizer and MSS discharge are used for compensating the EHIS ion beam. The balance of currents in the ion source-magnetron sputtering system is considered by analyzing the joint functioning of the MSS and EHIS. It is shown that the maximal discharge current from the ion source for which the charge compensation condition is preserved depends on the unbalance and the magnetron discharge current.     

Technological Ion Sources Based on a Vacuum Arc Discharge

Technological ion sources of the TITAN type have been developed at the Institute of High Current Electronics, RAS, for the last ten years. These sources generate wide-aperture high-current beams of gas or metal ions and also mixed two-component gas-metal ion beams with a controllable component ratio. This is possible due to two discharge systems combined into one discharge system of the source. Metal ions are obtained with a vacuum arc discharge and gas ions are generated with a constricted hollow-cathode low-pressure arc discharge. This paper describes the principle and peculiarities of operation of the given sources, their design, parameters, and fields of application. A modified version of the Mevva ion source is considered. The design of this version is based on the results of studies conducted using the TITAN source.     

Intense beam production with ECR ion sources

Electron cyclotron resonance ion sources are now able to attain a beam current as high as some milliamperes, which until a few years ago was obtained only for pulsed laser ion sources with a much higher emittance and energy spread, by keeping also the possibility to produce high charge states close to electron beam ion sources, at much higher intensity. They usually operate at frequencies up to 18 GHz, but now many sources are able to operate or will be able, at 28 GHz frequency or more, with plasma density of the order of 10¹³ cm^?3, much higher than any other source of the previous generation. The state-of-the-art technique will be described along with the major characteristics of the upcoming sources.     

The emission characteristics of an indium needle-type liquid metal ion source

Operational data for an indium needle-type liquid metal ion source are presented. Detailed comparisons are drawn between these characteristics and those of a similar gallium source. The behaviours of the two sources are found to be strikingly similar, indicating a common mechanism of ion emission.     

Collison nebulizer as a new soft ionization source for mass spectrometry

We have proposed that a Collison-type nebulizer be used as an ionization source for mass spectrometry with ionization under atmospheric pressure. This source does not require the use of electric voltage, radioactive sources, heaters, or liquid pumps. It has been shown that the number of ions produced by the ⁶³Ni radioactive source is three to four times larger than the number of ions produced by acoustic ionization sources. We have considered the possibility of using a Collison-type nebulizer in combination with a vortex focusing system as an ion source for extractive ionization of compounds under atmospheric pressure. The ionization of volatile substances in crossflows of a charged aerosol and an analyte (for model compounds of the amine class, viz., diethylaniline, triamylamine, and cocaine) has been investigated. It has been shown that the limit of detecting cocaine vapor by this method is on the level of 4.6 × 10^–14 g/cm³.     

Electromagnetic radiation from filamentary sources in the presence of axially magnetized cylindrical plasma scatterers

Electromagnetic radiation from filamentary electric-dipole and magnetic-current sources of infinite length in the presence of gyrotropic cylindrical scatterers in the surrounding free space is studied. The scatterers are assumed to be infinitely long, axially magnetized circular plasma columns parallel to the axis of the filamentary source. The field and the radiation pattern of each source are calculated in the case where the source frequency is equal to one of the surface plasmon resonance frequencies of the cylindrical scatterers. It is shown that the presence of even a single resonant magnetized plasma scatterer of small electrical radius or a few such scatterers significantly affects the total fields of the filamentary sources, so that their radiation patterns become essentially different from those in the absence of scatterers or the presence of isotropic scatterers of the same shape and size. It is concluded that the radiation characteristics of the considered sources can efficiently be controlled using their resonance interaction with the neighboring gyrotropic scatterers.     

The high-temperature behaviour of gallium and indium liquid metal ion sources

Energy distribution diagrams and derived data are presented for gallium and indium liquid metal ion sources operated at elevated temperatures. Results for the gallium source confirm that a secondary peak is formed on the energy distribution diagram at source temperatures above 250°C. Contrary to the findings of other research workers, data presented here show that the indium source displays similar characteristics to that of gallium. Off-axis data are also given, showing that secondary peak formation is not limited to the centre of the beam. Present hypotheses propose that secondary peak formation is the result of an increased contribution to emission by free-space field ionisation at elevated temperatures. Data presented here for the gallium and indium sources are discussed and the above hypotheses are examined. It is concluded that a field ionisation mechanism does not satisfactorily explain the form of the high temperature liquid metal ion source energy distributions.     

Nonlinear dynamics of radio frequency plasma processing reactorspowered by multifrequency sources

The source frequency has a strong influence on plasma characteristics in RF discharges. Multiple sources at widely different frequencies are often simultaneously used to separately optimize the magnitude and energy of ion fluxes to the substrate. In doing so, the sources are relatively independent of each other. These sources can, however, nonlinearly interact if the frequencies are sufficiently close. The resulting plasma and electrical characteristics can then be significantly different from those due to the sum of the individual sources. In this paper, a plasma equipment model is used to investigate the interaction of multiple frequency sources in capacitively and inductively coupled RF excited plasmas. In capacitively coupled systems, we confirmed that the plasma density increases with increasing frequency but also found that the magnitude of the DC bias and DC sheath voltage decreases. To produce a capacitively coupled discharge having a high plasma density with a large DC bias, we combined low and high frequency sources. The plasma density did increase using the dual frequency system as compared to the single low frequency source. The sources, however, nonlinearly interacted at the grounded wall sheath, thereby shifting both the plasma potential and DC bias. In inductively coupled plasmas (ICP), the frequency of the capacitive substrate bias does not have a significant effect on electron temperature and density. The DC bias and DC sheath voltage at the substrate were, however, found to strongly depend on source frequency. By using additional RF sources at alternate locations in ICP reactors, it was found that the DC bias at the substrate was varied without significantly changing other plasma parameters, such as the substrate sheath potential     

Ion source with electron ionization for a portable mass spectrometer

An ion source with electron ionization is considered. The charged-particle flow at the exit from this source has a cross section of ∼0.1 × 0.1 mm, an angle spread of 2° × 2°, a relative energy spread of <0.5%, and an energy range of 0.5–3.0 keV. This ion source is intended for systems where an ion beam is focused in two mutually perpendicular directions. The ion source design makes it possible to ionize a sample locally (in a volume of ∼10 mm³), where the concentration of the particles under study exceeds the concentration averaged over the volume of the vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer by two to three orders of magnitude. The ion-optical properties of the source are numerically simulated, and the optimum parameters of the source are chosen. Examples of the application of the ion source are given for the mass-spectrometric determination of metal salts in aqueous solutions and of gases and volatile compounds in samples in various phase states.     

Contribution of field effects to the achievement of higher brightness ion sources

The use of field effects for the delivery of high brightness ion beams is considered. Two solutions have been experimentally investigated, which are intended to increase the supply function in a field ion microscope: a liquid fed field ionization source and a field desorption source. Their performances and characteristics have been compared and they suggest two different regimes of emission. The field desorption source seems however more likely to produce reliable results. Brightnesses on the source side of the order of 10⁸ to 10⁹A/cm²sr are expected but much care must be devoted to the design of the electrostatic transfer optics of the gun to take full benefit of the intrinsic properties of such large solid angle emitters.     

Neutralization of an ion beam from the end-Hall ion source by a plasma electron source based on a discharge in crossed E × H fields

The possibility of using a plasma electron source (PES) with a discharge in crossed E × H field for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) is analyzed. The PES used as a neutralizer is mounted in the immediate vicinity of the EHIS ion generation and acceleration region at 90° to the source axis. The behavior of the discharge and emission parameters of the EHIS is determined for operation with a filament neutralizer and a plasma electron source. It is found that the maximal discharge current from the ion source attains a value of 3.8 A for operation with a PES and 4 A for operation with a filament compensator. It is established that the maximal discharge current for the ion source strongly depends on the working gas flow rate for low flow rates (up to 10 ml/min) in the EHIS; for higher flow rates, the maximum discharge current in the EHIS depends only on the emissivity of the PES. Analysis of the emission parameters of EHISs with filament and plasma neutralizers shows that the ion beam current and the ion current density distribution profile are independent of the type of the electron source and the ion current density can be as high as 0.2 mA/cm² at a distance of 25 cm from the EHIS anode. The balance of currents in the ion source-electron source system is considered on the basis of analysis of operation of EHISs with various sources of electrons. It is concluded that the neutralization current required for operation of an ion source in the discharge compensation mode must be equal to or larger than the discharge current of the ion source. The use of PES for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source proved to be effective in processes of ion-assisted deposition of thin films using reactive gases like O₂ or N₂. The application of the PES technique makes it possible to increase the lifetime of the ion-assisted deposition system by an order of magnitude (the lifetime with a Ti cathode is at least 60 h and is limited by the replacement life of the deposited cathode insertion).     

Ion bunch stacking in a Penning trap after purification in an electrostatic mirror trap

The success of many measurements in analytical mass spectrometry as well as in precision mass determinations for atomic and nuclear physics is handicapped when the ion sources deliver “contaminations”, i.e., unwanted ions of masses similar to those of the ions of interest. In particular, in ion-trapping devices, large amounts of contaminant ions result in significant systematic errors—if the measurements are possible at all. We present a solution for such cases: The ions from a quasi-continuous source are bunched in a linear radio-frequency-quadrupole ion trap, separated by a multi-reflection time-of-flight section followed by a Bradbury–Nielsen gate, and then captured in a Penning trap. Buffer-gas cooling is used to damp the ion motion in the latter, which allows a repeated opening of the Penning trap for a stacking of mass-selected ion bunches. Proof-of-principle demonstrations have been performed with the ISOLTRAP setup at ISOLDE/CERN, both with ¹³³Cs⁺ ions from an off-line ion source and by application to an on-line beam of ¹⁷⁹Lu⁺ ions contaminated with ¹⁶³Dy¹⁶O⁺ ions. In addition, an optimization of the experimental procedure is given, in particular for the number of ion bunches captured as a function of the ions’ lifetimes and the parameters of the experiment .     

Discharge and emission parameters of a plasma electron source based on a discharge in crossed E × H fields with various cathode materials

The possibility of using a plasma electron source (PES) with a discharge in crossed E × H field for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source (EHIS) is analyzed. The PES used as a neutralizer is mounted in the immediate vicinity of the EHIS ion generation and acceleration region at 90° to the source axis. The behavior of the discharge and emission parameters of the EHIS is determined for operation with a filament neutralizer and a plasma electron source. It is found that the maximal discharge current from the ion source attains a value of 3.8 A for operation with a PES and 4 A for operation with a filament compensator. It is established that the maximal discharge current for the ion source strongly depends on the working gas flow rate for low flow rates (up to 10 ml/min) in the EHIS; for higher flow rates, the maximum discharge current in the EHIS depends only on the emissivity of the PES. Analysis of the emission parameters of EHISs with filament and plasma neutralizers shows that the ion beam current and the ion current density distribution profile are independent of the type of the electron source and the ion current density can be as high as 0.2 mA/cm² at a distance of 25 cm from the EHIS anode. The balance of currents in the ion source-electron source system is considered on the basis of analysis of operation of EHISs with various sources of electrons. It is concluded that the neutralization current required for operation of an ion source in the discharge compensation mode must be equal to or larger than the discharge current of the ion source. The use of PES for compensating the ion beam from an end-Hall ion source proved to be effective in processes of ion-assisted deposition of thin films using reactive gases like O₂ or N₂. The application of the PES technique makes it possible to increase the lifetime of the ion-assisted deposition system by an order of magnitude (the lifetime with a Ti cathode is at least 60 h and is limited by the replacement life of the deposited cathode insertion).     

Plasma Sources in Analytical Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The recent interest in gas discharge ion sources for analytical mass spectrometry illustrates the often cyclic nature of scientific progress. The ion source capabilities of a gas discharge were discovered by Goldstein [1] in 1886 and such discharges were used by the pioneer mass spectroscopists (Thomson, Aston, and Bainbridge) as a convenient source of ions. The simplicity of design (see Fig. 1) and the high output ion currents were decisive factors in such applications. Alternative ion sources then replaced the gas discharge, to the point where the production of ions by gaseous discharge was suggested, correctly, to be of “more historical than contemporary interest” [2]. Nevertheless, new requirements and developments, as described in this paper, have once again drawn attention to the plasma ion source as having possible specialized and valuable analytical applications.     

多峰离子源的三维数值模拟优化与设计

本文理论计算了多峰离子源永磁体, 采用二体碰撞模型处理电子之间的库仑碰撞, 运用空碰撞方法处理电子与氢元素相关粒子碰撞, 开发了全三维粒子模拟-蒙特卡罗模拟算法, 并采用此软件对热门多峰离子源JET-60U的两种优化设计模型进行数值模拟研究, 探索了两种离子源空间分布特性和体积负氢离子产率相关问题, 提出了负氢离子源设计的基本思想: 适当调整离子源多峰磁场分布情况可以输出均匀离子束; 适当调整引出磁场大小和离子源结构, 可以达到离子束空间均匀性和高产率兼顾的效果.     

不同磁路电子回旋共振离子源引出实验

空间推进所用的电子回旋共振离子源(ECRIS)应具有体积小、效率高的特点. 本文研究的ECRIS使用永磁体环产生磁场, 有效减小了体积, 该离子源利用微波在磁场中加热电子, 电子与中性气体发生电离碰撞产生等离子体. 磁场在微波加热电子的过程中起关键作用, 同时影响离子源内等离子体的约束和输运. 通过比较四种磁路结构离子源的离子电流引出特性来研究磁场对10 cm ECRIS性能的影响. 实验发现: 在使用氩气的条件下, 特定结构的离子源可引出160 mA的离子电流, 最高推进剂利用率达60%, 最小放电损耗为120 W·A^-1; 所有离子源均存在多个工作状态, 工作状态在微波功率、气体流量、引出电压变化时会发生突变. 离子源发生状态突变时的微波功率、气体流量的大小与离子源内磁体的位置有关. 通过比较不同离子源的引出离子束流、放电损耗、气体利用率、工作稳定性的差异, 归纳了磁场结构对此种ECRIS引出特性的影响规律, 分析了其中的机理. 实验结果表明: 保持输入微波功率、气体流量、引出电压不变时, 增大共振区的范围、减小共振区到栅极的距离, 离子源能引出更大的离子电流; 减小共振区到微波功率入口、气体入口的距离能降低维持离子源高状态所需的最小微波功率和最小气体流量, 提高气体利用率, 但会导致放电损耗增大. 研究结果有助于深化对此类离子源工作过程的认识, 为其设计和性能优化提供参考.     

A numerical model for lithium plasma process in a hybrid microwave ion source

Lithium ions are widely used in many scientific fields; in order to get these ions, it is necessary to study lithium plasma process thoroughly. Recently, a hybrid ⁷Li³⁺ ion source has been designed and tested at Peking University (PKU). To understand the lithium plasma behaviour inside the plasma chamber and to provide some guidelines for ion source optimization to generate ⁷Li³⁺, a numerical model based on the plasma equilibrium equations is developed in this work, which is helpful not only for our ion source, but also for understanding the physical process of lithium plasma from ECR ion sources with different frequencies. This model can describe the density and fraction of lithium ions in various system parameters. The dependences of the Li⁺, Li²⁺, and Li³⁺ ion density and fraction on electron temperature, gas pressure, microwave power, surface ionizer, and the magnetic field are investigated systematically.     

Cathode-lifetime and stability problems in arc-dischargetype heavy ion sources

The last few years have seen ion implantation become a widely used industrial method. This has resulted in increasing importance being attached to the reliability of implanters and to a satisfactory working time/maintenance relation and other factors which are in some way connected with reproducibility and homogeneity. With these viewpoints in mind, ion sources seem to be the most sensitive components of implanters. Besides the normal ion source operations such as changing feeding material or gas, etc., ion sources need care in the maintenance. Ion source lifetime and reliability problems are of special consequence in the case of heavy-current machines. The excellent, mechanically scanned target chambers have made possible the use of higher and higher currents, but at the same time these currents can cause lifetime problems which affect the profit of expensive high current machines.     

Supportless unidirectional acoustic sources

The results of studying the physical characteristics of unidirectional acoustic sources used in active sound control systems are presented. A discrete unidirectional source in the form of two phased monopoles and a planar array of such unidirectional sources are considered. One-dimensional boundary-value problems with two (the two-point problem) and three (the three-point problem) controlled parallel planar boundaries between homogeneous media with arbitrary impedances are studied. The boundaries (two or three) are subjected to the action of external forces. The case of the zero sum of external forces applied to the controlled boundaries corresponds to a supportless unidirectional source. It is shown that a unidirectional source can be created within the two-point boundary-value problem, whereas a supportless unidirectional source can be created within the three-point problem. Such parameters as transparency, small size, absence of support, and broad frequency band can be achieved for a unidirectional source in the form of two piezoelectric layers with the same impedance and velocity of sound as those of the surrounding medium.     

用于聚焦离子束系统的离子源

介绍了现阶段两种用于聚焦离子束系统的离子源——液态金属离子源和气体场发射离子源的基本原理, 并对比了它们的优缺点。由于目前这两种离子源都难以满足纳米加工领域不断提高的技术要求, 因此提出了一种用于聚焦离子束的新型离子源——电子束离子源, 并介绍了电子束离子源的基本原理, 给出了设计参数、 模拟结果（20 kV的Ar+离子束, 发射度约为5.8×10-5·mm·mrad, 束斑约为1 μm）和初步的实验结果。 There are two kinds of ion sources, Liquid Metal Ion Source and Gas Field Ion Source, used to provide ion beams for the Focus Ion Beam system. The working mechanism of the two kinds of sources is presented and their advantages and disadvantages are summarized. With the rapid development in the nano technology, the requirements are hardly met with these two kinds of ion sources. Therefore, a new kind of ion source, electron beam ion source, is developed for the Focus Ion Beam system. The basic principle of the electron beam ion source is introduced and the design parameters, the result of the simulation (20 kV Ar+, extracted emittance is 5.8×10-5π·mm·mrad, raduis of the ion beam about 1 μm.) and the primary experimental results are presented