Wide-range characteristics of beam perveance and saddle point potential of LIPS-200 ion thruster

Both the long-life and multi-mode versions of LIPS-200 ion thruster are under investigation in LIP(Lanzhou Institute of Physics).To confirm the feasible ranges of the beam current and accel(abbreviation for accelaration)grid potential to apply to the thruster,the wide-range beam perveance(the state of beam focus)and saddle point potential(the lowest potential along beamlet centerline)characteristics of LIPS-200 are studied with a test-verified PIC-MCC(Particle in Cell-Monte Carlo Collisions)model.These characteristics are investigated with both the initial and the eroded states of the accel grid aperture diameter.The results show that the feasible ranges of these parameters with respect to perveance/crossover(overfocused)limit extend as the operating time accumulates,while the feasible range of accel grid potential narrows due to a reduced EBSF(electron backstreaming failure)margin.The feasible ranges determined by the initial condition are:(i)the beam current up to 0.981 A,and(ii)the accel grid potential up to−85 V.A 23%enlargement of the aperture diameter would bring up to 48 V of EBSF margin loss.

Optimization and numerical simulation for the extraction system of the H^- multicusp ion source

A new ion source has been designed and manufactured for the CYCLONE30 accelerator, which has a much advanced performance compared with the original. It is expected that the newly designed ion source extraction system will transport a very large percentage of the beam without deteriorating the beam optics, which is designed to deliver an H- beam at 30 keV. The accelerator assembly consists of three circular aperture electrodes made of copper. The simulation study was focused on finding parameter sets that raise the beam perveance as large as possible and which reduce the beam divergence as low as possible. Ion beams of the highest quality are extracted whenever the half-angular divergence is minimum, for which the perveance current intensity and the extraction gap have optimum values. The triode extraction system is designed and optimized by using CST software （for Particle Beam Simulations）. The physical design of the extraction system is given in this paper. From the simulation results, it is concluded that it is possible to achieve this goal by decreasing the thickness of the plasma electrode, shortening the first gap, and adjusting the acceleration electrode voltage.

Elementary Theory for Optimum Extraction of Space-Charge-Dominated Ion Beams from Plasma Boundaries

The problem of extracting space-charge-limited ion beams from spherical emission boundaries is analyzed for simple,two electrode,parallel-plate and spherical sector electrode systems by application of Langmuir-Blodgett theory with account taken for the divergent lens effect caused by the aperture in the extraction electrode.Results derived from simulation studies for the three electrode system,designed for use with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ECR ion source,complement predictions made from elementary analytical theory with or without magnetic field in the extraction region of the source.Under minimum half- angular divergence(minimum emittance)conditions,the plasma emission boundary has an optimum curvature and the perveance,P,(i.e,current density,j+and extraction gap,d),has an optimum value for a given charge- state.From these studies,we find that the optimum perveance for any electrode system can be determined from the Child-Langmuir relation for the parallel-plate electrode system multiplied by a factor,F with value 0.49≤F≤1.

A Status Report of the KVI-AECR

In this paper the first results of the new ECR source at the KVI are presented.The source has been built following the design of Jyv(?)skyl(?) University,which is based on the AECR-U of LBNL.As the commissioning is going on,it seems that the extraction and analysing systems inherited from the old source are the limiting factors for the performance of the new source.Beam currents achieved with the source are at the moment a factor of 3 lower than the AECR source used at the Jyv(?)skyl(?) University.Further modifications to improve the source performance will be discussed.

Development of H− multicusp ion source

Introduction The ion source is one of the key devices for the high-intensity cyclotron,which exerts influence on the beam intensity and applications of the machine.This paper will provide an introduction to current measures and present relevant experimental study as well as the beam test results.Purpose The existing ion source of the accelerator has a 2-mA output current.Our aim is to increase the current to roughly 5 mA to decrease the reaction time of cyclotron.Therefore,a new ion source was developed.To this end,some simulations were performed,and the simulated ion source was constructed,and then some measurements were noted.Methods and materials The CST code is used to simulate the chamber and extraction system.For construction,some materials such as copper and stainless steel are used.Tungsten wire of 2.1 mm diameter was developed to reach high beam current.Turbo and rotary pump is chosen for system evacuation.Faraday cup can be used for readout.The magnets for plasma confinement are made of Nd–Fe–B material.Results The source assembly consists of a tubular plasma chamber(inner diameter:100 mm;length:150 mm)with 12 columns of permanent magnets(Nd–Fe–B material)to provide a stronger multicusp field,a three-electrode extraction system,and a top cover with a confinement magnet inside.Now,5 mA H−beam can be extracted from the ion source with a plasma electrode aperture of 13 mm under an arc power of 6 kW.The optimum H2 gas flow rate and the change of pressure found during the tuning process of the ion source are presented.