An RF antenna ion source (or
radio frequency antenna ion source) is an internal multi-
cusp design that can produce a
particle beam of about ~30 to 40
mA current. It is used in high energy
particle physics and in accelerator laboratories.
Previous RF antennas would penetrate the
porcelain enamel coating on the antenna section at high RF power. This problem has been corrected in the development stage with a ten layer coating of
titanium dioxide, with approximately 1 mm thick coating.
With the development of the RF antenna ion source, or "non-
thermionic ion source," the ion source has an advantage over conventional
cold cathodes and
hot filament
The hot-filament ionization gauge, sometimes called a hot-filament gauge or hot-cathode gauge, is the most widely used low-pressure (vacuum) measuring device for the region from 10−3 to 10−10 Torr. It is a triode, with the filament being the ...
ion sources. The
filament
The word filament, which is descended from Latin ''filum'' meaning " thread", is used in English for a variety of thread-like structures, including:
Astronomy
* Galaxy filament, the largest known cosmic structures in the universe
* Solar filament ...
continuously burns out over time with a shorter lifespan, requiring venting of the ion source to atmosphere and rebuilding of the ion source.
See also
*
Ion source
*
Particle accelerator
External links
*Lawrence Berkley National Laborator
Improvement of the lifetime of radio frequency antenna
Particle physics
Accelerator physics
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