Beam optics optimization of a negative-ion sputter source

A negative-ion sputter source has been studied in order to increase the beam intensity delivered by the Vivitron tandem injector. The aim was to characterize the influence on the beam intensity of some factors related to the configuration of the source such as the shape of the target holder, the target surface topography and the anode/cathode voltage. The paper reports the results carried out by experimentation on a test facility and on the injector itself as well as the investigations performed with computer simulations.