Characterization of a high-intensity unipolar-mode pulsed ion source with improved magnetically insulated diode

A magnetically insulated ion diode (MID) with an improved external-magnetic field system has been developed and installed onto a TEMP-6-type high-intensity pulsed ion source in order to produce a high-intensity pulsed ion beam (HIPIB) for surface modification of materials. The external-magnetic field MID is operated in unipolar mode based on dielectric high-voltage flashover, and a double coaxial pulse-forming line (PFL) powered with a Marx generator is used to form the unipolar pulse of nanosecond width. A specially designed cathode has been constructed with a forked connection to two symmetrically installed transformers to improve the effect of the magnetic field and thus increase the stability of generation and propagation of the ion beam. It was found that the efficient generation of HIPIB mainly depended on the magnetic field strength, the gas pressures in reverse and output switches of PFL, and the anode–cathode (A–K) gap of the external-magnetic field MID. A proper magnetic field strength was found with magnetic field power system at dc charging voltage of 8 kV. The proper A–K gap distance is not uniform with the value varied from 6 to 8 mm. Suitable gas pressures for reverse and output switches were about 1.2 and 2.4 atm, respectively, at a charging voltage of 40 kV to the Marx generator. The most efficient plasma generation and ion extraction led to a maximum output of HIPIB with a peak ion current density of 300 A cm−2 and a beam pulse width of 80 ns (full width at half maximum), at an accelerating pulse of 300–350 kV with a pulse width of 70 ns.