Enhanced surface production in H- ion sources by introducing a negatively biased secondary electrode.
A transformer coupled plasma negative hydrogen ion source with an external rf antenna has been developed at SNU, which is capable of continuous operation with long lifetime. A positively biased plasma electrode (PE) has been successfully used for the optimization of H(-) extraction. With molybdenum-coated stainless steel PE, the enhancement of H(-) production at the electrode surface was observed at the bias voltage lower than the plasma potential. However, the low bias voltage is unfavorable to H(-) beam extraction since the negative ions are repelled. A second electrode is inserted in front of the PE to enhance H(-) production at the electrode surface without impeding beam extraction. By biasing the secondary electrode (SE) more negatively, H(-) production is clearly enhanced although the SE itself reduces H(-) beam currents because of suppressed electron transport in front of the PE. In this configuration enhancement of surface productions is most pronounced in tantalum electrode among various electrode materials.
An
YoungHwa
Y
Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
Jung
BongKi
B
Hwang
Y S
YS