Highly Efficient, Inexpensive, Medium Current Ion Source

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Abstract
A newly designed ion source has provided deuterium ion currents up to 10 mA at input powers of about 100 W. The device utilizes a diffuse, filament‐excited dc discharge produced in the 10−3 Torr pressure region and incorporates an ion extractor as a part of the plasma chamber. The extractor and discharge chamber exit aperture form a converging lens that shapes the ions into a small diameter beam, which exits the chamber through a small orifice in the extractor. The combination of low operating pressure and small diameter exit orifice results in low neutral gas leakage. Simplicity of design and operation renders the unit relatively inexpensive to build and maintain. Because the discharge is diffuse, it can be readily scaled up or down in size and modified for the extraction of a variety of beam shapes.

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