Negative Extraction Research Articles

Electron-less negative ion extraction from ion-ion plasmas

This paper presents experimental results showing that continuous negative ion extraction, without co-extracted electrons, is possible from highly electronegative SF6 ion-ion plasma at low gas pressure (1 mTorr). The ratio between the negative ion and electron densities is more than 3000 in the vicinity of the two-grid extraction and acceleration system. The measurements are conducted by both magnetized and non-magnetized energy analyzers attached to the external grid. With these two analyzers, we show that the extracted negative ion flux is almost electron-free and has the same magnitude as the positive ion flux extracted and accelerated when the grids are biased oppositely. The results presented here can be used for validation of numerical and analytical models of ion extraction from ion-ion plasma.

Towards a realistic 3D simulation of the extraction region in ITER NBI relevant ion source

The development of negative ion (NI) sources for ITER is strongly accompanied by modelling activities. The ONIX code addresses the physics of formation and extraction of negative hydrogen ions at caesiated sources as well as the amount of co-extracted electrons. In order to be closer to the experimental conditions the code has been improved. It includes now the bias potential applied to first grid (plasma grid) of the extraction system, and the presence of Cs+ ions in the plasma. The simulation results show that such aspects play an important role for the formation of an ion–ion plasma in the boundary region by reducing the depth of the negative potential well in vicinity to the plasma grid that limits the extraction of the NIs produced at the Cs covered plasma grid surface. The influence of the initial temperature of the surface produced NI and its emission rate on the NI density in the bulk plasma that in turn affects the beam formation region was analysed. The formation of the plasma meniscus, the boundary between the plasma and the beam, was investigated for the extraction potentials of 5 and 10 kV. At the smaller extraction potential the meniscus moves closer to the plasma grid but as in the case of 10 kV the deepest meniscus bend point is still outside of the aperture. Finally, a plasma containing the same amount of NI and electrons , representing good source conditioning, was simulated. It is shown that at such conditions the extracted NI current can reach values of ∼32 mA cm−2 using ITER-relevant extraction potential of 10 kV and ∼19 mA cm−2 at 5 kV. These results are in good agreement with experimental measurements performed at the small scale ITER prototype source at the test facility BATMAN.

Generalization of the Child-Langmuir law to the alternate extraction of positive and negative ions

Using a combined analytical and simulation approach, we investigate positive and negative ion extraction between two electrodes from an ion-ion plasma source. With a square voltage waveform applied to the electrodes, we obtain approximate analytical solutions for the time-averaged extracted current densities, which are given simply by: Jpac=[α−fLMpqpV0]Jpdc, and Jnac=[(1−α)−fLMnqnV0]Jndc, where Jac is the time-averaged current density, α is the square waveform duty cycle, f is the frequency, L is the electrode gap length, M is the ion mass, q is the ion charge, V0 is the applied voltage amplitude, Jdc is the dc extracted current density, and the subscripts p and n refer to positive and negative ions, respectively. In particular, if Jdc is the dc space-charge limited current density, then these equations describe the square waveform generalization of the Child-Langmuir law.

Alternate extraction and acceleration of positive and negative ions from a gridded plasma source

By applying a square-wave voltage with frequencies between 10 kHz to 1 MHz to a set of grids terminating an ion–ion plasma source, we experimentally demonstrate the alternate extraction and acceleration of high energy (hundreds of eV) positive and negative ion beams. In addition, the ratio of positive-to-negative ion beam current can be controlled by adjusting the applied square-wave duty cycle. Temporally resolved floating potential measurements of a target show that the downstream potential can be controlled and sufficiently reduced at high applied frequencies (∼200 kHz), indicating that space-charge compensation can be achieved to prevent beam stalling.

Decay of a low-pressure oxygen magnetized and unmagnetized plasma

Extraction of negative ions from electronegative plasmas is one of the key issues addressed during the study of these plasmas. One of the widely used methods is the turn off of the electron heating power. This results in the escape of electrons from the plasma and results in the formation of almost pure ion-ion plasma. In the latter case, the plasma sheath collapses, which enables the extraction of negative ions from the plasma. Another method is the application of a large magnetic field to the plasma. If the electrons become magnetized and trapped near the center of discharge chamber, the plasma sheaths near the walls collapse. This also enables the negative ion extraction from the plasma even during the power-on stage. The aim of the present paper is the comparison of these two methods.

On the meniscus formation and the negative hydrogen ion extraction from ITER neutral beam injection relevant ion source

The development of a large area (Asource,ITER = 0.9 × 2 m2) hydrogen negative ion (NI) source constitutes a crucial step in construction of the neutral beam injectors of the international fusion reactor ITER. To understand the plasma behaviour in the boundary layer close to the extraction system the 3D PIC MCC code ONIX is exploited. Direct cross checked analysis of the simulation and experimental results from the ITER-relevant BATMAN source testbed with a smaller area (Asource,BATMAN ≈ 0.32 × 0.59 m2) has been conducted for a low perveance beam, but for a full set of plasma parameters available. ONIX has been partially benchmarked by comparison to the results obtained using the commercial particle tracing code for positive ion extraction KOBRA3D. Very good agreement has been found in terms of meniscus position and its shape for simulations of different plasma densities. The influence of the initial plasma composition on the final meniscus structure was then investigated for NIs. As expected from the Child–Langmuir law, the results show that not only does the extraction potential play a crucial role on the meniscus formation, but also the initial plasma density and its electronegativity. For the given parameters, the calculated meniscus locates a few mm downstream of the plasma grid aperture provoking a direct NI extraction. Most of the surface produced NIs do not reach the plasma bulk, but move directly towards the extraction grid guided by the extraction field. Even for artificially increased electronegativity of the bulk plasma the extracted NI current from this region is low. This observation indicates a high relevance of the direct NI extraction. These calculations show that the extracted NI current from the bulk region is low even if a complete ion–ion plasma is assumed, meaning that direct extraction from surface produced ions should be present in order to obtain sufficiently high extracted NI current density. The calculated extracted currents, both ions and electrons, agree rather well with the experiment.

Transport of low pressure electronegative SF6 plasma through a localized magnetic filter

The generation of an ion-ion plasma where only few electrons are present in the discharge could be appropriated in the context of ion plasma source applications. We present in this paper results obtained with a one-dimensional fluid model in the context of low pressure electronegative SF6 plasma. Without magnetic field, results show that the electron density is still large in the discharge. With a localized magnetic filter, where the magnetic field strength is such that the transport of the electrons is affected while the transport of ion species remains unmagnetized, we show that a region with a negative–positive ion plasma is found downstream the magnetic filter. The negative ions are produced in the filter due to the decrease of electron temperature. We also find conditions when the plasma sheath near the biased electrode collapses and the negative ion extraction from the plasma becomes possible. In addition, the influence of E × B electron transport on the one-dimensional model results is discussed.

Experimental validation of the dual positive and negative ion beam acceleration in the plasma propulsion with electronegative gases thruster

The PEGASES (Plasma Propulsion with Electronegative Gases) thruster is a gridded ion thruster, where both positive and negative ions are accelerated to generate thrust. In this way, additional downstream neutralization by electrons is redundant. To achieve this, the thruster accelerates alternately positive and negative ions from an ion-ion plasma where the electron density is three orders of magnitude lower than the ion densities. This paper presents a first experimental study of the alternate acceleration in PEGASES, where SF6 is used as the working gas. Various electrostatic probes are used to investigate the source plasma potential and the energy, composition, and current of the extracted beams. We show here that the plasma potential control in such system is key parameter defining success of ion extraction and is sensitive to both parasitic electron current paths in the source region and deposition of sulphur containing dielectric films on the grids. In addition, large oscillations in the ion-ion plasma potential are found in the negative ion extraction phase. The oscillation occurs when the primary plasma approaches the grounded parts of the main core via sub-millimetres technological inputs. By controlling and suppressing the various undesired effects, we achieve perfect ion-ion plasma potential control with stable oscillation-free operation in the range of the available acceleration voltages (±350 V). The measured positive and negative ion currents in the beam are about 10 mA for each component at RF power of 100 W and non-optimized extraction system. Two different energy analyzers with and without magnetic electron suppression system are used to measure and compare the negative and positive ion and electron fluxes formed by the thruster. It is found that at alternate ion-ion extraction the positive and negative ion energy peaks are similar in areas and symmetrical in position with +/− ion energy corresponding to the amplitude of the applied acceleration voltage.

Modelling the ion source for ITER NBI: from the generation of negative hydrogen ions to their extraction

The neutral beam injection (NBI) system for ITER is based on a large (Asource = 1.9 × 0.9 m2) negative hydrogen or deuterium ion source. In this source negative ions are produced in a low-pressure (pfill ≈ 0.3 Pa) plasma by conversion of atoms and protons on a caesiated molybdenum surface with low work function. Then the negative ions are transported through the plasma to the extraction system where extraction of these ions and co-extraction of electrons also take place. This paper describes the status of the modelling activities connected with the negative ion test facilities of IPP Garching. It is illustrated that these modelling activities constitute a strong support of the experimental activities connected with the development of the negative ion source for ITER NBI. Several numerical codes developed in the past years—in close collaboration with the experiment—and their results are introduced. Focus is laid on the production, transport and extraction of negative hydrogen ions and on the inevitable co-extraction of electrons.

Comparative analysis of continuous-wave surface-plasma negative ion sources with various discharge geometry

Negative ion extraction from continuous-wave (CW) magnetron and semiplanotron discharges was studied and it was compared with that for the source with Penning electrode geometry. The CW negative ion beam up current to 13 mA was extracted from the magnetron source with emission aperture of 3.5 mm in diameter, while the beam with current up to 8 mA was obtained from the semiplanotron source modification. Characteristics of CW magnetron and semiplanotron sources are presented and analyzed.

Improving efficiency of negative ion production in ion source with saddle antenna

Extraction of negative ions from a saddle antenna radio-frequency surface plasma source is considered. Several versions of new plasma generators with different antennas and magnetic field configurations were tested in the smal Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source Test Stand. The efficiency of positive ion generation in plasma has been improved to 200 mA/cm(2) kW from 2.5 mA/cm(2) kW. A small oven was developed for cesiation by cesium compounds and alloy decomposition. After cesiation, a current of negative ions to the collector was increased from 1 mA to 10 mA with 1.5 kW RF power in the plasma and longitudinal magnetic field Bl ∼ 250 G. The specific efficiency of H(-) production was increased to 20 mA/cm(2) kW from 2.5 mA/cm(2) kW.

Negative ion extraction by particle model

More self-consistent injection boundary conditions from the source region have been used in the extraction region model to examine the negative ion formation and transport. Bulk kinetic, plasma-surface, and gas-surface processes have been all included. This work represents a first example of coupling between different models, and it shows the important role of positive ion conversion on plasma grid for the extracted negative ion current.

3D numerical simulations of negative hydrogen ion extraction using realistic plasma parameters, geometry of the extraction aperture and full 3D magnetic field map

Decreasing the co-extracted electron current while simultaneously keeping negative ion (NI) current sufficiently high is a crucial issue on the development plasma source system for ITER Neutral Beam Injector. To support finding the best extraction conditions the 3D Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo Collision electrostatic code ONIX (Orsay Negative Ion eXtraction) has been developed. Close collaboration with experiments and other numerical models allows performing realistic simulations with relevant input parameters: plasma properties, geometry of the extraction aperture, full 3D magnetic field map, etc. For the first time ONIX has been benchmarked with commercial positive ions tracing code KOBRA3D. A very good agreement in terms of the meniscus position and depth has been found. Simulation of NI extraction with different e/NI ratio in bulk plasma shows high relevance of the direct negative ion extraction from the surface produced NI in order to obtain extracted NI current as in the experimental results from BATMAN testbed.

Negative ion extraction from hydrogen plasma bulk

A two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model has been developed and used to study low electronegative magnetized hydrogen plasma. A configuration characterized by four electrodes is used: the left electrode is biased at Vl = −100 V, the right electrode is grounded, while the upper and lower transversal electrodes are biased at an intermediate voltage Vud between 0 and −100 V. A constant and homogeneous magnetic field is applied parallel to the lateral (left/right) electrodes. It is shown that in the magnetized case, the bulk plasma potential is close to the transversal electrodes bias inducing then a reversed sheath in front of the right electrode. The potential drop within the reversed sheath is controlled by the transversal electrodes bias allowing extraction of negative ions with a significant reduction of co-extracted electron current. Furthermore, introducing plasma electrodes, between the transversal electrodes and the right electrode, biased with a voltage just above the plasma bulk potential, increases the negative ion extracted current and decreases significantly the co-extracted electron current. The physical mechanism on basis of this phenomenon has been discussed.

Effect of basic physical parameters to control plasma meniscus and beam halo formation in negative ion sources

Our previous study shows that the curvature of the plasma meniscus causes the beam halo in the negative ion sources: the negative ions extracted from the periphery of the meniscus are over-focused in the extractor due to the electrostatic lens effect, and consequently become the beam halo. In this article, the detail physics of the plasma meniscus and beam halo formation is investigated with two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. It is shown that the basic physical parameters such as the H− extraction voltage and the effective electron confinement time significantly affect the formation of the plasma meniscus and the resultant beam halo since the penetration of electric field for negative ion extraction depends on these physical parameters. Especially, the electron confinement time depends on the characteristic time of electron escape along the magnetic field as well as the characteristic time of electron diffusion across the magnetic field. The plasma meniscus penetrates deeply into the source plasma region when the effective electron confinement time is short. In this case, the curvature of the plasma meniscus becomes large, and consequently the fraction of the beam halo increases.

Transient Behavior of Negative Hydrogen Ion Extraction from Plasma

For plasma source, the extraction of negative ions is quite different from that of positive ions. To understand the effect of extraction field on plasma, the time-dependent behavior of negative hydrogen ion extraction from a negative ion source has been studied by particle-in-cell simulation in the collisionless limit. The simulations have shown that, due to the difference in dynamics between electrons and ions, the imbalance of the numbers of charged particles occurs in the source, results in the broadening of plasma sheath and the great increase of plasma potential. The resultant high sheath field and the ambipolar electric field in plasma make the negatively charged particles congregate inside the sheath and move toward the extraction outlet. The emission area of negative ions is much smaller than that of the extraction aperture, which is in sharp contrast to the case of positive ion extraction.

Effect of H− ion extraction on a plasma sheath under an external weak magnetic field

The extraction of negative ions inevitably leads to the destruction of the original plasma state. To understand the effect of extraction on a plasma sheath under a weak magnetic filter field, the time-dependent behavior of H− ion extraction from a negative ion source has been studied by particle-in-cell simulation in the collisionless limit. The simulation results have shown that the plasma sheath would undergo a transient process, in which there exists an edge electrostatic wave that propagates counterclockwise along the wall with a velocity of 4 mm/ns until it reaches the other side of extraction aperture. The thickness of the plasma sheath and the plasma potential both increase greatly at the final quasi-steady-state. For comparison, the results of extracting positive ions are also given.

The MCC numerical algorithm of the extraction of the surface-produced negative hydrogen ions

The physical mechanism of the negative hydrogen ion transportation and extraction is investigated, the charge exchange reaction and coulomb collision process are analysed thearelically, and the corresponding numerical calculation module is also designed. Therefore, using the finite difference time domain method to calculate the lorentz force of the negative hydrogen ions, and through Monte Carlo method to deal with the collision between negative hydrogen ions and other particles. Finally, it is successful to develop the 3D MCC algorithm of the transportation and extraction of the surface-produced negative hydrogen ions, and simulate the foreign popular ion source JAEA 10 A. The results show that with the increase of the filter magnetic fiel, the bigger the number of extracted ions, the smaller the number of ions in negative hydrogen ions source is, that with the filter magnetic filed is small, the greater the pressure, the bigger the number of extracted ions is, and that when the filter magnetic filed is big, the smaller the pressure, the bigger the number of extracted ions is.

Extraction of Negative Hydrogen Ions from Radio Frequency Driven Plasma Sources for Fusion Plasma Heating

Extraction of Negative Hydrogen Ions from Radio Frequency Driven Plasma Sources for Fusion Plasma Heating

Negative ion test facility ELISE—Status and first results

The new test facility ELISE (Extraction from a Large Ion Source Experiment) has been designed and installed since November 2009 at IPP Garching to support the development of the radio frequency driven negative ion source for the Neutral Beam System on ITER. The test facility is now completely assembled; all auxiliary systems have been commissioned and are operational. First plasma and beam operation is starting in October 2012.The source is designed to deliver an ion beam of 20A of D− ions, operating at 0.3Pa source pressure at an electron to ion current ratio below 1. Beam extraction is limited to 60kV for 10s every 3minutes, while plasma operation of the source can be performed continuously for 1hour. The ion source and extraction system have the same width as the ITER source, but only half the height, i.e. 1×1 m2 source area with an extraction area of 0.1 m2. The aperture pattern of the extraction system and the multi driver source concept stay as close as possible to the ITER design. Easy access to the source for diagnostic tools or modifications allows to analyze and optimize the source performance. Among other possibilities many different magnetic filter field configurations inside the source can be realized to enhance the negative ion extraction and to reduce the co-extraction of electrons. Beam power and profiles are measured by calorimetry and thermography on an inertially cooled target as well as by beam emission spectroscopy. Cs evaporation into the source is done via two dispenser ovens.