Ion Sources for Ion Machining Applications

Ion sources with beam diameters of 2.5, 10, and 20 cm have been developed for ion machining applications. All three of these sources use carbon grids to minimize accelerator grid sputtering. A new starting circuit Is also employed that uses only passive components for initiation of the discharge. The two larger sources use a flat multipole chamber with multiple cathodes to generate a very uniform beam. The multipole magnetic field is integrated into the anode, which greatly reduces the required number of insulating supports.