Gas discharge source of metal vapor and fast gas atoms

A source of metal atom flow coinciding in time and space with a flow of fast gas atoms has been studied and the study results are presented. The fast particles are produced due to charge exchange collisions of ions accelerated by potential difference between a plasma emitter inside the source and secondary plasma inside a process vacuum chamber. The emitter is the glow discharge plasma, whose electrons are confined in an electrostatic trap formed by a cold hollow cathode and an emissive grid the latter being negative both to the cathode and the chamber. The metal atoms are produced due to sputtering a target placed at the hollow cathode bottom by ions from the plasma emitter with energy up to 3 keV. Sputtered atoms cross the emitter, together with accelerated ions enter the chamber through the emissive grid and deposit on pieces placed therein. When a mixture of argon and nitrogen is used, the metal nitride coatings are being synthesized and interruptedly bombarded during the synthesis by atoms and molecules with energy variable from ～10 to ～300 eV.     

Characteristics of a fast neutral atom source with electrons injected into the source through its emissive grid from the vacuum chamber

In order to increase the equivalent current of a fast neutral atom beam the cold hollow cathode of the beam source is bombarded with electrons extracted from the plasma produced in the vacuum chamber and accelerated in the sheath between the plasma emitter of the source and its emissive grid. The cold cathode bombardment by accelerated electrons raises its electron emission current by an order of magnitude and as a result voltage U _c between the anode and the cathode of the source diminishes more than two times. This allows of increasing several times the beam equivalent current or decreasing the working gas pressure. A slight decrease in the U _c with increasing the accelerating voltage U at an overall cutoff of the electrons from the chamber reveals the influence of secondary electrons emitted by the grid. Measurement of the beam current is discussed.     

A gas-discharge plasma focuser

A device is proposed for the formation of a gas-discharge plasma stream with a sinusoidal distribution of the charged-particle density over the stream cross section, which is achieved by using wavy shapes of the anode and cathode surfaces that are placed coaxially relative to each other at the distance λ _e < h < 3λ _e , where λ _e is the mean free path of an electron in the gas-discharge plasma stream. The anode is a stainless steel grid with mesh dimensions of 1 × 1 mm. The aluminum cathode is 120 mm in diameter and 50-mm thick. The device provides a discharge current of up to 0.6 А at a controlled voltage at the electrodes in the range of 0.21–0.7 kV. In this case, plasma streams propagate to a distance of up to 50λ _e beyond the limits of the electrodes.     

A source of gas, vapor, metal, and carbon ions based on a low-pressure hollow-cathode discharge

A compact source of gas, vapor, metal, and carbon ions based on a cold-hollow-cathode reflective discharge has been developed, in which a 6-mm-diameter flat target (Cu, Mo, W, C) is installed on the bottom of the cold cathode insulated from it. The density of the ion flow from cathode plasma reaches 100 mA/cm² at an accelerating voltage of up to 10 kV and a discharge current of 0.2-0.5 A. Vapors produced during ion sputtering of the target are ionized in the cathode and anode cavities. A beam containing ions of the plasma-producing gas and vapor is extracted throug h the channel in the reflector cathode. A fraction of the vapor of the sputtered target, the flow of which is sufficient for growing layers at a rate of ∼0.03 nm/s at a distance of 10 cm from the emission channel under the action of an ion beam, is extracted together with ions. The fraction of metal ions in the extracted beam is 0.05-0.10. The total current of the ion beam is 20-30 mA.     

Low-energy, high-current, ion source with cold electron emitter

An ion source based on a two-stage discharge with electron injection from a cold emitter is presented. The first stage is the emitter itself, and the second stage provides acceleration of injected electrons for gas ionization and formation of ion flow (<20 eV, 5 A dc). The ion accelerating system is gridless; acceleration is accomplished by an electric field in the discharge plasma within an axially symmetric, diverging, magnetic field. The hollow cathode electron emitter utilizes an arc discharge with cathode spots hidden inside the cathode cavity. Selection of the appropriate emitter material provides a very low erosion rate and long lifetime.     

A source of broad electron beams with a self-heated hollow cathode for plasma nitriding of stainless steel

The principle of operation and characteristics of a broad electron beam source based on the discharge with a self-heated hollow cathode and widened anode part are described. The source is intended for the ion nitriding of metals in the electron beam plasma. The influence of the current density (1–7 mA/cm²) and ion energy (0.1–0.3 keV) on the nitriding rate of the 12X18H10T austenitic stainless steel is studied. It is shown that the maximal nitriding rate is reached by the combining of the minimal bias voltage across the samples (100 V) and maximal ion current density, which ensures the dynamic oxide layer sputtering on the sample surface. The electron source, in which electrons are extracted through a stabilizing grid in the direction normal to the axis of the hollow cathode, ensures the radially divergent electron beam formation with a 700-cm² initial cross section, a current of up to 30 A, and initial electron energy of 0.1–0.5 keV. The source stably operates at nitrogen-argon mixture pressures of up to 3 Pa.     

Investigation of the homogeneity of a high-power ion beam formed by a diode with a closed electron drift

The results of an investigation of the energy-density distribution over the cross section of a pulsed ion beam formed with a passive-anode diode in the mode of magnetic insulation and a closed electron drift in the anode–cathode gap are presented. Diodes of two types are studied: with external magnetic insulation (B_r diode) on the BIPPAB-450 accelerator (400 kV, 80 ns) and self-magnetic insulation of electrons (spiral diode) on the TEMP-4M accelerator (250 kV, 120 ns). In the investigated diodes, various processes are used to form anode plasma: a breakdown over the surface of a dielectric coating on the anode and ionization of the anode surface with accelerated electrons (B_r diode), as well as explosive emission of electrons (spiral diode). To analyze the ion-beam energy density, thermal-imaging diagnostics is used with a spatial resolution of 1–2 mm. The energy-density is calculated from the one-dimensional Child–Langmuir relationship. It is shown that a continuous plasma layer is efficiently formed on the working anode surface for all the investigated diodes. The anode-plasma concentration is rather high, and the beam-energy density is limited by the space charge of ions, but not by the plasma concentration. It is found that, when the magnetic field in the Br-diode anode–cathode gap decreases or the electron current in the spiral diode increases, the energy density of the high-power ion beam rises significantly, but the beam homogeneity decreases.     

共面薄膜电极表面放电冷却技术

为研究一种可用于雷达领域的新型冷却技术,本文研究了高电压下共面薄膜电极之间的DC表面放电现象。设计制作了一系列具有不同参数且带有一个阳极针尖以及两个对称布置阴极的样机,通过改变基底表面粗糙度以及不同的结构参数(如凹槽深度、凹槽宽度以及阴极长度等)进行实验测试。结果表明:主要受到基底表面离子迁移率的影响,凹槽深度对于共面薄膜平面电极的表面放电现象影响最大;表面放电的电流稳定性随着深度的增加而增加;而放电起始电压则随着深度的增加而减小;离子与平面基底之间的流体阻力影响相对较小。共面薄膜电极表面放电的研究对于推动电冷却技术在雷达技术领域的应用具有重要意义。     

Simple Penning ion source for laboratory research and development applications

A simple Penning ion generator (PIG) that can be easily fabricated with simple machining skills and standard laboratory accessories is described. The PIG source uses an iron cathode body, samarium cobalt permanent magnet, stainless steel anode, and iron cathode faceplate to generate a plasma discharge that yields a continuous 1 mA beam of positively charged hydrogen ions at 1 mTorr of pressure. This operating condition requires 5.4 kV and 32.4 W of power. Operation with helium is similar to hydrogen. The ion source is being designed and investigated for use in a sealed-tube neutron generator; however, this ion source is thoroughly described so that it can be easily implemented by other researchers for other laboratory research and development applications.     

A gas-ion source with a grid-stabilized plasma cathode

A two-stage source of a broad beam of gas ions is described. The source contains a grid-stabilized plasma cathode and an anode stage with a multicusp magnetic field. The emission current of the plasma cathode (which is based on a glow discharge with a hollow cathode) is controlled between 0.1 and 1 A. The voltage that is applied to a bipolar diode between its cathode grid and anode plasma and determines the energy of fast electrons ranges from 50 to 200 V. The operating pressure of the argon in the anode stage is 4 × 10^–3–1 × 10^–1 Pa. A beam of argon ions having an energy of up to 5 keV and a current of >100 mA is formed by a two-electrode ion-optical system with a working area of 50 cm².__________Translated from Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, No. 2, 2005, pp. 107–111.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Gavrilov, Kamenetskikh.     

An arc generator of a broad plasma stream

The design and basic parameters of an arc plasma generator based on a combined cathode are described. The cathode consists of a hot tungsten filament located in the hollow cathode. A plasma stream with a cross section of 150×10 cm² and a density of ∼10¹⁰ cm⁻³ at a pressure of 0.1–1 Pa is generated at a discharge current of up to 60 A without a cathode spot. The plasma generator can be utilized for final cleaning and activation of surfaces of materials and articles before depositing functional coatings on them and in plasma-assisted deposition by using either vacuum arc or magnetron discharges.     

Improved hydrogen ionization rate in enhanced glow discharge plasma immersion ion implantation by enlarging the interaction path using an insulating tube

A small pointed hollow anode and large tabular cathode are used in enhanced glow discharge plasma immersion ion implantation (EGD-PIII). Electrons are repelled from the substrate by the electric field formed by the negative voltage pulses and concentrate in the vicinity of the anode to enhance the self-glow discharge process. To extend the application of EGD-PIII to plasma gases with low ionization rates, an insulating tube is used to increase the interaction path for electrons and neutrals in order to enhance the discharge near the anode. Results obtained from numerical simulation based on the particle-in-cell code, finite element method, and experiments show that this configuration enhances the ionization rate and subsequent ion implant fluence. The process is especially suitable for gases that have low ionization rates such as hydrogen and helium.     

Broad beam sources of fast molecules with segmented cold cathodes and emissive grids

Experimental study of fast neutral atom and molecule beam sources with rectangular and circular cross-section of the beam up to 0.8 m² is carried out and the study results are presented. The fast particles are produced as a result of charge exchange collisions between gas molecules and ions accelerated by potential drop between the plasma emitter of the beam source and the secondary plasma inside the processing vacuum chamber. As the emitter is used a glow discharge plasma, whose electrons are confined in an electrostatic trap formed by a cold hollow cathode and an emissive grid, which is negative both to the cathode and to the chamber. In order to prevent from breakdowns between the emitter and the cathode at a current in the cathode circuit up to 10 A as well as between the emitter and the grid at a voltage between them up to 10 kV the cathode and the grid are composed of isolated from each other segments, which are connected to power supplies through resistors. When resistance of the resistorR > U/I ₀, where U is the power supply voltage and I ₀ is the minimal current of stable vacuum arc for a given segment material, then transition from the glow discharge to the steady-state vacuum arc is totally excluded in spite of numerous breakdowns of microsecond duration due to contamination of the source electrodes during its operation with dielectric films and other stimulants of the arc.     

Magnetic multipole line-cusp plasma generator for neutral beam injectors

The magnetic multipole line-cusp device developed by MacKenzie and associates has been adapted for use as a neutral beam ion source. It has produced high-density, large volume, quiescent, uniform hydrogen plasmas, which makes it a potential candidate for use as a plasma generator for neutral beam injectors. The device is a water-cooled cylindrical copper discharge chamber (25 cm in diameter by 36 cm long) with one end enclosed by a set of extraction grids with a 15-cm-diam multi-aperture pattern. The chamber wall serves as an anode and is surrounded by an external system of rare-earth cobalt magnets arranged in a line-cusp geometry of 12 cusps; plasma is produced by electron emission from a hot cathode assembly. This source has achieved extracted beam currents of 12 A at 18.5 kV, radial plasma density uniformities of +/-5% over a 15-cm diameter, noise levels of less than +/-0.5%, and arc efficiencies (beam current/arc power) of 0.6 A/kW.     

A source of broad homogeneous beams of low-energy (∼0.5 keV) gas ions

A source of gas ions (argon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.), the operating principle of which is based on the use of a glow discharge in an electrode system of a wide-aperture hollow cathode and anode in a magnetic field, is described. The exit aperture diameter of the hollow cathode, increased up to a size close to the ion beam diameter (10 cm), ensures the uniform ion emission of the plasma generated in the discharge region near the anode. A decreased angular divergence or increased ultimate ion-beam current density is achieved by a change in the potential drop in the space charge sheath between the plasma and the ion optics. The source generates broad (50 cm²) slightly diverging (ω/2∼3°–5°) ion beams with energies of 300–1000 eV at a beam current density of ∼0.5 mA/cm².     

YPT-0.5 repetitive-pulse nanosecond electron accelerator

An YPT-0.5 repetive-pulse nanosecond electron accelerator designed according to the thyratron-pulse transformer-semiconductor opening switch scheme is described. Its accelerating voltage reaches 0.5 MV, the FWHM pulse duration is 50 ns, and the pulse repetition rate is 200 Hz. A metal-dielectric cathode allows for obtaining an electron beam with a diameter of 30–100 mm at a maximum pulse current density of 40 A/cm². Operating in the bremsstrahlung generator mode, the accelerator provides an absorbed dose rate of 30.4 Gy/min at a distance of 5 cm from the target.     

A high-current plasma emitter of electrons based on a glow discharge with a multirod electrostatic trap

Pulsed electron guns that produce 170-mm-diameter beams with currents of up to 700 A, electron energies of 300 keV, and a pulse width of ～200 μs at a gas pressure of ～0.01 Pa are experimentally studied. Glow-discharge plasma with electron confinement in an electrostatic trap is used as the electron emitter. The trap is formed by a hexagonal prism that consists of 204 cathode rods, which are 5 mm in diameter, 200 mm in length and are spaced by 1.5 mm, as well as 780 cathode rods, which are 5 mm in diameter and 98 mm in length, the spacing between their axes amounting to 15 mm. The latter rods are inside the former system of rods. The plasma emitter fills the hexagonal prism, which is free of rods, at the trap center with a distance of 280 mm between opposite sides and a height of ～200 mm between the emissive grid connected to the anode and the trap bottom covered with 23-mm-diameter cathode disks. All the cathode rods and disks are insulated from one another and connected to the discharge power supply through TVO-2 430-Ω resistors. The current limitation in the circuit of each cathode element by a value of ～2 A at a pulse width of ～5 ms of the glow-discharge current of up to 1 kA fully excludes its glow-to-arc transitions and allows production of continuous pulsed electron beams with an energy capacity of up to 40 kJ and a uniform distribution of the current density over its cross-sectional area of ～0.025 m².     

A high-linearity DC planar Ionic anemometer

A high-linearity DC planar ionic anemometer which can measure the airflow velocity of boundary-layers near a surface was constructed and tested. The differential anemometer described in this paper includes two symmetrical cathodes and one anode with a sharp tip. High voltage is applied to the anode to generate a symmetrical ionic discharge, and then the airflow deflects the symmetrical ion distribution and produces a differential current between the two cathodes. It can detect bidirectional airflow velocity and is more crash-resistant than traditional hot-wire anemometers. It has minimum impact on the airflow profile because of its thin-shape design and achieves high measurement accuracy. A series of tests have been done for the static characteristics and dynamic performance by changing structural parameters such as cavity depth, gap width, anode tip angle, cathode width and length. The results show that the cavity depth is the most important structural parameter since it has the greatest effect on the stability of the gas discharge, which is affected by ion mobility and friction between ions and the bottom of cavity. The gap width plays a decisive role in the current and sensitivity values. Besides, the uncertainties of the tests have been analyzed by introducing the error bars and the testing errors are in reasonable ranges. The anemometer is cost-effective and offers the possibility of building a MEMS version in the future.     

Calculation of the variable-profile electron beam for electron coolers

Interaction of an electron beam with a cooled ion beam makes it possible to reduce its phase volume, perform accumulation of particles, and suppress various “heating” effects. The electron beam can also be used as a target for an electron-ion recombination reaction, which offers a chance to carry out atomic physics experiments and ensure slow uniform extraction of the ion beam from the storage ring. A high-perveance electron beam with a variable profile is required for effective cooling, while a high current density and a low energy of transverse motion of electrons in the beam is needed for extraction by means of recombination. It is shown that a convex cathode placed in a magnetic field can be used to form such a beam. A high current density can be attained with this shape of the cathode, but additional efforts must be focused on optimizing the gun’s optics in order to obtain a low energy of transverse motion of particles. Since ions repeatedly pass through the cooling section during their lifetime at different values of the betatron oscillation phase, the rates of recombination and cooling are dependent on the rms electron velocity averaged over the volume in which the beam interaction occurs. The proposed design of the gun with a convex cathode 10.2 mm in diameter ensures formation of a variable-profile electron beam with a nominal current of 1 A and a current density of 1.2 A/cm². The rms energy of Larmor gyration of electrons at the exit from the gun, averaged over the beam cross section (the “transverse” temperature) is 1 eV. A focusing electrode that forms the Pierce optics near the edge of the cathode, an electrode controlling the beam profile, and an anode are included in the optics of the electron gun.     

A Wide-Aperture Source of Oxygen Ions with a Hollow Cold Cathode and Magnetic Multicast

A gas-discharge source of oxygen ions is described. The source contains an anode and a hollow cold cathode with one extracting grid (extractor) placed at the opposite end to the anode. The hollow cathode has three multicast magnetic systems of permanent polarity. The first system is placed inside the cathode near the anode, the second system is situated outside the cathode opposite to the first one, and the third system is placed below the second one near the extractor surface. Like poles of the first and second magnetic systems are directed towards each other. The second and third systems have poles of similar orientations. Using this source, a beam of oxygen ions with a current density of up to 0.5 mA/cm² and nonuniformity of <5% was obtained across a 200-mm-diameter area at a distance of 120 mm from the face of the ion source. The source offers the following optimum performance characteristics: a discharge current of 0.4–1.2 A, oxygen flow rate of 9–12 cm³/min, and extracting voltage of 400–600 V. No limitations were revealed on the service life of a source operating in optimal modes.