A Simple Ion Source for Monoenergetic Multiply Charged Ion Beams

A small and inexpensive electron beam ion source for multiply charged ions of noble gases is described. One of its essential characteristics is the low energy spread of the extracted ion beam, which depends on the charge state q of the ions and amounts to ∽q × 50 meV. The total ion current containing ionic states up to q = 6 is in the order of 10 nA. The design, construction and important parameters of the ion source are described.     

Eine Methode zur Erzeugung von Strahlen negativer Ionen

A new method for the production of beams of negative ions to be injected into a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator is presented. Negative ions of a desired species are produced by impact of noble gas ions with molecules of a gas containing this element, and are then collected and bent into a beam with high efficiency. For example, a beam of negative fluorine ions has been obtained by bombardment of boron fluoride with 30 keV krypton ions, resulting in a current of 0·5 μA of F⁺⁺⁺⁺ at the target. The original ion source of the tandem has been used with this modified procedure. The krypton gas has been fed into the duoplasmatron and the boron fluoride into the charge exchange channel. No damage to the ion source system has been observed, even in this case. This method has also been applied to nitrogen and oxygen with good results. Some measurements are reported, and a brief discussion of the basic process of the method is given.     

The influence of discharge parameters on the generation of ions H<Subscript>3</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript> in the source based on reflective discharge with hollow cathode

For hydrogen ions source based on reflective discharge with hollow cathode the investigations of the effect of discharge current and gas pressure on the component composition of the ion beam have been performed. It has been shown that the optimization of the discharge parameters makes it possible to achieve up to 70% triatomic hydrogen ions H₃ ⁺ in the beam.     

Discharge characteristics of the DUHOCAMIS with a high magnetic bottle-shaped field

For the purpose of producing high intensity, multiply charged metal ion beams, the dual hollow cathode ion source for metal ions (DUHOCAMIS) was derived from the hot cathode Penning ion source combined with the hollow cathode sputtering experiments in 2007. To investigate the behavior of this discharge geometry in a stronger magnetic bottle-shaped field, a new test bench for DUHOCAMIS with a high magnetic bottle-shaped field up to 0.6 T has been set up at the Peking University. The experiments with magnetic fields from 0.13 T to 0.52 T have indicated that the discharge behavior is very sensitive to the magnetic flux densities. The slope of discharge curves in a very wide range can be controlled by changing the magnetic field as well as regulated by adjusting the cathode heating power; the production of metallic ions would be much greater than gas ions with the increased magnetic flux density; and the magnetic field has a much higher influence on the DHCD mode than on the PIG mode.     

The SMILETRAP (Stockholm-Mainz-Ion-LEvitation-TRAP) facility

Described in this paper is an experimental facility which measures atomic masses by using multiply charged ions from an electron beam ion source. The ions are injected into a Penning trap and the cyclotron frequencies measured. A precision of 2×10^–9 has been reached using highly charged carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and neon.     

Interference of arsenic diffusion by argon implantation

In the study of ion implantation, electrically active ions or noble gas ions are often used for damage study, range profiling, etc. Very seldom are both electrically active ions and noble gas ions implanted at about the same depth. In the work reported here, argon and arsenic ion implants and their interference in diffusion were studied by using backscattering, electrical measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Several unexpected phenomena were observed.

First, when both Ar and As are implanted in high doses (about 10¹⁶/cm²), at depths around a few hundred nanometers, the Ar significantly hampers the As diffusion, and the As prevents the outdiffusion of the Ar. The interference occurs regardless of which ion is implanted first.

Second, when Si wafers uniformly doped with about 4 × 10¹⁹ As/cm³ are ion-implanted with log¹⁶ Ar/cm² at 130 keV, the As atoms stay uniformly distributed. When the sample is annealed at a temperature between 900 and 1100°C in a nitrogen ambient, however, double peaks for both Ar and As are observed by backscattering. The nonuniform distribution of As after the heat treatment of the uniformly distributed As is puzzling.

Finally, the As profile for an As capsule diffused on a silicon wafer is greatly altered when the wafer has been pre-implanted with Ar. Arsenic atoms tend to build up at the same depth as the Ar atoms.

Several other observations concerning Ar and As are equally puzzling. This paper discusses the observations and some plausible explanations.     

Spectroscopy of the regenerative soot

The mechanisms and processes of the formation of the regenerative soot in a graphite hollow cathode discharge that produces and emits carbon clusters are presented. Mass spectrometry with a specially designed E×B velocity filter analyzes the entire range of the charged clusters from C ₁ to ∼C ₄₃₀₀. The state of the carbon vapour within the source is evaluated by using the characteristic line emissions from the carbonaceous discharge whose formative mechanisms depend upon the kinetic and potential sputtering of the sooted cathode. The carbonaceous discharge generates atomic and ionic C and its clusters C _m (m≥ 2), noble gas metastable atoms and ions, energetic electrons and photons in the cavity of the graphite hollow cathode. The parameters of soot formation and its recycling depend critically on the discharge parameters, the geometry of the hollow cathode and 3D profile of the cusp magnetic field contours. Received 2nd July 2001 and Received in final form 10 September 2001     

Neutral beam sputtering of positive ion clusters from alkali halides

Neutral argon atom beams of 15 keV energy have been used to sputter alkali halides and the ejected positive ions have been analysed in energy, mass and angular distribution.

The use of a neutral beam, rather than an ion beam, minimizes surface charge and the deflection of ejected ions by electrostatic interaction with a charged incident beam.

A cluster component of the form K₂Cl⁺, K₃Cl⁺ ₂ and higher members of the series is found for all alkali halides studied.     

ISAC基于ECR离子源的离子注入式电离

An ECR ion source for charge breeding of radioactive ions from the ISAC facility at TRIUMF has been set up at a test stand.It has been operated with different ion sources for the injection of singly charged ions and the efficiency,breeding time and emittance have been determined for several elements.A maximum efficiency of more than 6% for the breeding of Kr~(12 ) has been achieved so far.Additionally the charge exchange of Rb and Cs ions in the range of 10 to 23 with residual gas molecules in the transport beam lines has been investigated.The absolute values for the cross sections at 10—15 q keV agree with predictions extrapolated from lower charge states but the strong dependence on the ionization energy of the gas molecules could not be verified.     

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry studies of an ion beam generated by the titan source

The TITAN source generates wide-aperture beams of gas and metal ions of different materials. This is achieved because of two types of cold-cathode arc discharges, which operate simultaneously in the discharge system of the source. For metal ions to be obtained, use is made of the vacuum arc initiated between an ion-forming cathode and a hollow anode. To produce gas ions, a constricted low-pressure arc discharge is initiated with the same hollow anode. The constitution of ion beams generated by the TITAN source has been investigated using a homemade time-of-flight spectrometer. This paper describes the design of the latter and the principle of its operation, and discusses the physical peculiarities of the spectrometer operation, which affect the ion beam constitution. Institute of High Current Electronics. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 21–28, February, 2000.     

Tin fluoride and tin oxide molecules in noble metals

The geometrical and chemical bonding structure of isolated molecules consisting of a number of interstitial gas atoms bound to a substitutional 5sp element atom in a noble metal matrix have been studied utilizing Mössbauer spectroscopy of¹¹⁹Sn and¹²¹Sb in conjunction with ion beam analysis. The structure information obtained is discussed in relation to the structure of conventional molecules and to the constraints introduced by the metal matrix.

     

Ionization of iridium ions in the Dresden EBIT studied by X-ray spectroscopy of direct excitation and radiative recombination processes

Ir^q+ ( 41≤q≤64) ions with open-shell configurations have been produced in the electron beam of the room-temperature Dresden Electron Beam Ion Trap (Dresden EBIT) at electron excitation energies from 2 keV to 13 keV. X-ray emission from direct excitation processes and radiative capture in krypton-like to aluminium-like iridium ions is measured with an energy dispersive Si(Li) detector. The detected X-ray lines are analyzed and compared with results from multiconfigurational Dirac-Fock (MCDF) atomic structure calculations. This allows to determine dominant produced ion charge states at different electron energies. The analysis shows that at the realized working gas pressure of 5×10^-9mbar for higher charged ions the maximum ion charge state is not preferently determined by the chosen electron beam energy needed for ionization of certain atomic substates, but by the balance between ionization and charge state reducing processes as charge exchange and radiative recombination. This behaviour is also discussed on the basis of model calculations for the resulting ion charge state distribution. Received 12 July 2001 and Received in final form 10 September 2001     

First Tests of a Linear Radiofrequency Quadrupole for the Cooling and Bunching of Radioactive Light Ions

A linear radiofrequency quadrupole has been built at the LPC-Caen for the manipulation of radioactive ions. The system was designed for the cooling and bunching of a continuous beam using the buffer gas cooling technique. The technique is being extended to its ultimate limit to apply it for the cooling of light ions using H₂ as buffer gas. The bunches are to be injected into a transparent Paul trap for further decay studies. The cooling and bunching section of the system has been successfully tested off-line with a source of stable ions. We describe here the specifications of the device and present the results of the first tests.

     

System for coincidence measurements of the ions desorbed and projectiles scattered from noble gas solid surfaces by slow multiply charged ion impacts

We have developed a new experimental apparatus for performing coincidence measurements of the ions desorbed and projectiles scattered from the surfaces of noble gas solids by slow multiply charged ion impacts at grazing incidence angles. This simultaneously measures the desorbed ions' flight times and the scattered projectiles' charge states. We also conduct experiments on 6 keV Ar⁶⁺ impacts onto a solid Ne surface using the device.     

Ion storage at eV energies in an octopole ring

To store ions for times up to several seconds with energies in the 10 eV/amu range a tabletop storage ring with a circumference of about 1 m will be constructed. The ions will be confined and guided by RF-multipoles. The first objective is the production of pure ground state beams of (multiply charged) ions. This will allow for elucidating the unknown rule of metastable ions in electron capture studies, which will be performed in a crossed beam experiment after extraction of the ion beam from the storage ring. In order to test the technique of ion storage by means of RF-multipoles a linear RF-octopole beam guide has been constructed. First results of highly charged ion injection and subsequent electron capture studies in the RF-octopole beam guide are presented for C⁴⁺ ions.     

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).     

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).     

Self-oscillating mode of electron beam generation in a source with a grid plasma emitter

Plasma processes and electron beam generation in an electron source with a grid plasma cathode are investigated. Experiments are conducted under the conditions of efficient electron extraction and an intense counter ion flux, which break grid stabilization. It is shown that a rise in the gas pressure and in the emitting plasma potential leads to the plasma potential modulation in the frequency range 10⁴–10⁵ Hz. Under the self-oscillation conditions, an electron beam is obtained with a constant current of up to 16 A and an electron energy modulated up to 100% of the accelerating voltage level (100–300 V). An explanation is given for relaxation self-oscillations arising when the plasma potential grows and for the system’s inertial non-linearity arising when the plasma potential induced by the space charge of the counter ion flux lags behind the current of electron-beam-generated ions.     

Ionization mechanism in a liquid-metal ion source. Source for high-melting metals

Investigations have been made of the ionization mechanism in a liquid-metal ion source. At the instant of ion current generation the surface of a liquid metal emitter frozen in a highvoltage field exhibits microprotrusions pulled from the liquid metal by the electric field. A double-focusing mass spectrometer identified two components in the ion beam extracted from the aperture in the extractor. One ion component forms at the tip of the emitter and has an energy spread not exceeding a few tens of electronvolts. The other ion component forms in the cathode plasma at the extractor. On the basis of these investigations, a mechanism is proposed for ion formation in a liquid metal ion source and this mechanism is used to produce a modified source design. The source can produce ion beams from high-melting metals and nonmetals, and beams of Ta, W, Mo, C, and Fe ions were obtained. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 82–87 (November 1997)     

Xenon nano-beams for materials research

The advantage of focused Xe⁺ beams over other rare gas species have been investigated [Zhukov, V.; Kalbitzer, S. Russ. Microelectron. 2011, 40 (1), 17–24]. In particular, the higher operation temperature of a super-tip gas field ion source for xenon ions is one outstanding technical feature. The properties of focused Xe⁺ beams are estimated with special reference to optimised ion-optical transport systems. Applications to both ion beam materials modification and ion beam materials analysis are outlined.