Features of the formation and diagnostics of powerful metal ion beams with submillisecond duration

Abstract

The article presents the results of experimental studies on the formation of repetitively-pulsed beams of titanium ions with submillisecond pulse duration from the continuous vacuum arc discharge plasma. The influence of ion-electron emission on the overestimation of the measured ion current with a power density of tens and hundreds of kilowatts per square centimeter was studied using various methods. It has been established that at an average energy of titanium ions of about 80 keV, due to ion-electron emission, the measured current is three times higher than the real ion beam current. Complicating the measurement of the current and energy parameters of the ion beam, the ion-electron emission ensures the neutralization of its space charge during the entire duration of the pulse. An increase in the ion current density due to ballistic focusing to more than 1 A/cm2 does not change the ion-electron emission coefficient. It is shown that, as a result of incomplete ion beam space charge neutralization, its crossover is shifted by 20 mm beyond the geometric focus of the system. The possibility of forming submillisecond high-intensity titanium ion beams with a current density exceeding 2.8 A/cm2, a power density exceeding 200 kW/cm2, and a pulse energy exceeding 100 J has been experimentally demonstrated. Data are obtained on the change in the current density over the ion beam cross-section depending on the accelerating voltage amplitude, the vacuum arc discharge current, and the distance from the focusing electrode.