Bias voltage and corrosion effects in rf ovens in electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Abstract

Induction-heated miniaturized ovens were successfully coupled to electron cyclotron resonance ion sources for the production of copper and silver ion beams. Experiments with tin and praseodymium ion beams are here presented; some preliminary tests for titanium are also described. In the latter case (and in general over a 1800K temperature) a molybdenum rf coil is used. The results with tin show currents comparable to silver (after obvious correction for isotopic abundance), with some operational difficulty due to frequent pouring of liquid sample out of crucible. The effects of a bias voltage Vb applied to the Sn sample are reported. Cold sputter probes are compared. The results with praseodymium show lower currents than tin and large sensitivity to mixing gas used: nitrogen emerged as the best compromise against oxygen (possibly because this oxidizes the sample) and against inert noble gases. Optimal bias voltage for Pr (Vb from −50to−300V) is much smaller than for silver (Vb≅−1kV).