Characteristics and Potential Applications of an ORNL Microwave ECR Multicusp Plasma Ion Source

Download or read book Characteristics and Potential Applications of an ORNL Microwave ECR Multicusp Plasma Ion Source written by and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new microwave electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) multicusp plasma ion source that has two ECR plasma production regions and uses multicusp plasma confinement has been developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This source has been operated to produce uniform and dense plasma over large areas of 300 to 400 cm2 and could be scaled up to produce uniform plasma over 700 cm2 or larger. The plasma source has been operated with continuous argon gas feed and pulsed microwave power. The working gases used were argon, helium, hydrogen, and oxygen. The discharge initiation phenomena and plasma properties have been investigated and studied as functions of the discharge parameters. The discharge characteristics and a hypothetical discharge mechanism for this plasma source are described and discussed. Potential applications, including plasma and ion-beam sources for manufacturing advanced microelectronics, for space electric propulsion, and for fusion research, are discussed. 10 refs., 10 figs.