An ion beam source based on a glow discharge in a magnetic field has been developed to produce gas and carbon ion beams with a cross sectional area of up to 200 cm2. The source comes in two modifications, one of which, generating continuous beams of low-energy ions with a current of up to 150 mA, is used to treat material surfaces before deposition of coatings. The other, generating pulse-repetitive ion beams with a current of up to 1 A, ion energy up to 40 keV, pulse duration of 1 ms at a frequency of 3-50 Hz, is used to implant ions into materials. The source features a straightforward design and power circuit, high reliability and long lifetime, these advantages being ensured through the use of cold cathode discharge needing no initiating system.
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