Characteristics of an He+ beam extracted from a compact multicusp ion source
Abstract
When an ion beam is extracted from plasma, the beam size expands both by the space charge and the beam emittance. The space charge, however, can be neutralized by oppositely charged particles, which are produced through the beam-induced ionization process of the residual gas. Those effects are especially important when the beam current density is high and the extraction voltage is low (<10 kV).
A prototype compact multicusp He+ ion source has been developed to produce a He+ beam for the purpose of the alpha particle diagnostics of a nuclear fusion device. Since the optimum beam energy for the conversion from He+ to He- in alkali vapor is about 10 keV, the transport of the intense low energy He+ beam is essential for the development. We have measured the He+ beam current, the emittance and plasma parameters of the ion source. In the present work, the correlation among these parameters and the prospect to realize this diagnostic system are discussed.