Generation and Measurements of Ion Species from Vacuum Arcs

We have measured the ion flux for different electrode materials in a vacuum arc. The vacuum arc has a point-plane geometry. The ion species in the generated plasma are identified using a time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer. Ion species that have been generated to date include D+, Mg+, Mg++, Al+, Al++, Al+++, Ti+, Ti++, Ni+, Ni++, Cu+, Cu++, Zn+, Zn++, and In+. We found that in all cases, the ion flux measured is directly proportional to the interelectrode gap spacing and to the arc current. Typical current densities measured were ~300 mA · cm-2 at a distance of 10 cm from the gap for 150-?s pulse. The study will be used for the development of a multiple-arc array source for application to intense ion beam generation.