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EP0169744A2 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Ion source

Assignee: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
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Filing: 1985-07-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-07-26
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Abstract

Abstract An ion source in which a gaseous material, the source of the ions, is excited to a plasma state by means of a radio frequency electromagnetic field. The wall of the chamber containing the plasma is maintained at a high temperature and there is provided a solenoidal or radial multipolar electric field thereby to cause the ion source to produce atomic rather than malecular ions.

Inventors

  • 👤 Michael Inman
  • 👤 Thomas Stanley Green

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-02 10:32
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J27/00; H01J27/02; H01J27/16

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim 104 words
An ion source, comprising a chamber which can be evacuated, means for introducing into the chamber in a gaseous state a material ions of which are to be provided by the source, means for applying an alternating electromagnetic field to the gaseous medium whereby it can be excited to a plasma state, means for applying an electric field to extract ions from the plasma, wherein there is provided means (13) for maintaining the walls of the chamber at an elevated temperature, and means 5, 7, 9, 10, 21) for applying a solenoidal or radial multipolar magnetic field (8) to a plasma within the chamber.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 104 words
An ion source, comprising a chamber which can be evacuated, means for introducing into the chamber in a gaseous state a material ions of which are to be provided by the source, means for applying an alternating electromagnetic field to the gaseous medium whereby it can be excited to a plasma state, means for applying an electric field to extract ions from the plasma, wherein there is provided means (13) for maintaining the walls of the chamber at an elevated temperature, and means 5, 7, 9, 10, 21) for applying a solenoidal or radial multipolar magnetic field (8) to a plasma within the chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 44 words
An ion source according to claim 1 wherein the means (22) for applying an electric field to extract ions from the chamber includes an electrode having a plurality of parallel slits formed in it so as to provide a plurality of elongated parallel beamlets.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 43 words
An ion source according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the means (13) for maintaining the walls of the chamber at a high temperature is adapted to maintain the walls of the chamber at a temperature of approximately five hundred degrees celsius.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 37 words
An ion source according to any of claims 1 to 3 in association with a magnetic analyser (28, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 34, 35) adapted to select only ions having a predetermined mass to charge ratio.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 90 words
An ion source and magnetic analyser according to claim 4 wherein the magnetic analyser (28, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 34, 35) includes means (4, 15, 34, 35) for providing two anti-parallel magnetic fields (29' 29") and the said beamlets of ions are arranged to pass orthogonally through them sequentially, the first magnetic field (29') serving to select ions of the given mass to charge ratio, and the second magnetic field (29") serving to bring the selected ions to a focus to form a single divergent beam of ions (23).

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