Flashover lithium ion source development for large pulsed power accelerators

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6072476

Bieg, K W; Burns, E J.T.; Gerber, R A; Olsen, J N; Lamppa, K P

PBFA II, a light-ion pulsed power accelerator intended for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications, is currently under construction at Sandia National Laboratories. The accelerator will deliver a 30 MV, 5 MA lithium beam from an Applied-B diode to drive an ICF target. The ion source for this diode will require a thin (approx.1 mm), dense (10 W cm S) anode plasma layer of singly-ionized lithium over an anode area of 10T cmS. One type of source being investigated is the flashover ion source, which generates the anode plasma via vacuum flashover of a lithium-bearing dielectric material. Experiments with a LiF flashover source on the 0.03 TW Nereus accelerator have shown that contaminant ions account for as much as 70% of the extracted ion beam current. To overcome this, we have explored in-diode cleaning of the externally-prepared anode surface by glow discharge cleaning and vacuum baking as well as in-diode preparation of the anode surface by vacuum evaporation of the lithium dielectric. Lithium-bearing dielectric materials which have been investigated include LiF, LiI, LiNO3, and Li3N. These techniques have resulted in a two- to three-fold improvement in the extracted lithium ion purity. As a result, a glow-discharge cleaned LiF flashover source will be used for initial pulsed-power testing on PBFA II.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6072476
• Report Number(s): SAND-85-2529C; CONF-851174-16; ON: DE86003499
• Resource Relation: Conference: 32. national vacuum symposium and topical conference, Houston, TX, USA, 19 Nov 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ION SOURCES
SURFACE CLEANING
PARTICLE BEAM FUSION ACCELERATOR
GLOW DISCHARGES
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
LITHIUM IONS
TARGETS
VACUUM EVAPORATION
ACCELERATORS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CLEANING
CONFINEMENT
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
EVAPORATION
IONS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
SURFACE FINISHING
700208* - Fusion Power Plant Technology- Inertial Confinement Technology