Ion sources for surface treatments of materials]. Final report on the Contract 0248U0016-35 between the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Institute of Electrophysics

Abstract

Treatment of materials by accelerated ions causes considerable changes in the microstructure and properties of the surface layer of these materials. Results of numerous laboratory studies show that ion beams are highly efficient in surface modification of materials. However, development and commercial use of ion beam technologies is hampered due to the lack of inexpensive, reliable and efficient ion sources. One of the promising directions in development of commercial ion sources is the use of cold-cathode discharges for producing ion emitting plasma. The main objectives of the contract works were as follows: (1) analyze discharge characteristics in the electrode system of the inverted magnetron type, parameter and emission properties of the discharge plasma, and formation of broad beams in an ion optics system; (2) create a laboratory prototype ion source, deliver the prototype ion source to Los Alamos, and perform joint experiments on ion beam surface modification of materials; (3) use results of the investigations and tests of the laboratory ion source as the basis for development of a commercial ion source with the beam up to 1,000 cm{sup 2} in cross-section area. Results of the research are summarized.