Contribution of neutral production to ion flux from a vacuum arc source

Journal Article · Thu Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1996 · Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1146609· OSTI ID:278609

Humphries, S Jr; Lockner, T R ^[1]

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1. Arc Engineering, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87192 (United States)

This article describes studies of the effect of electrode spacing on the performance of vacuum arc plasma sources for ion accelerators and other applications. We measured the time-resolved emission of neutrals from a compact arc source with a titanium cathode and 100 A drive current and found that the source emitted roughly 100 atoms for each extracted ion. The inferred neutral pressure in the arc gap was about 500 mTorr. The result suggested the possibility of achieving significant ionization in the plasma expansion region by increasing the anode{endash}cathode gap length, thereby forcing the drive current to flow through the gas column. With a new two-stage trigger, we were able to ignite arcs with gaps as long as 20 cm. Extended gaps doubled the ion flux, gave better output directionality, and helped to stabilize the location of emission spots on the cathode. These improvements, coupled with direct observations of discharge luminosity, support the hypothesis of ionization of the expanding vapor. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 278609
• Journal Information: Review of Scientific Instruments, Journal Name: Review of Scientific Instruments Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 67; ISSN 0034-6748; ISSN RSINAK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AMP BEAM CURRENTS
BEAM PRODUCTION
ELECTRIC ARCS
ION SOURCES
IONIZATION
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
RADIATION FLUX
TITANIUM