Metal vapor vacuum arc ion source

A high‐current ion source is described in which a metal vapor vacuum arc is used to create the plasma from which the ion beam is extracted. An ion beam current of up to about 1 A has been measured at an extraction voltage of 25 kV for a range of metallic species spanning the periodic table from lithium to uranium. Multiply ionized charge states are seen up to as high as Q=6+ in the case of uranium. In the metal vapor vacuum arc, regions of intense current concentration are formed at the cathode, and it is at these regions, the cathode spots, that the cathode material is vaporized and ionized to form a dense, quasi‐neutral plasma which plumes away from the cathode surface. The plasma plume is caused to impinge upon a set of extractor grids, and the ion beam is extracted from the streaming metal plasma. A preliminary survey of the performance of the source has been made. We describe here the principle of operation of the source, the source design, and the results of those measurements that we have made to date.