Negative ion source with low temperature transverse divergence optical system

Claim 1

In an ion source for generating a beam of negative ions from a selected molecular species wherein said selected molecular species is introduced in a gaseous state into a chamber formed by an electrically conductive housing and including a converter plate having an ion converter surface disposed within said chamber, an ion extraction electrode forming a part of said housing disposed in front of said converter plate and having an exit slit therein through which said beam of negative ions produced in said chamber exit said chamber, an acceleration electrode disposed parallel to and spaced from said extraction electrode for accelerating said negative ions passing through said exit slit of said extraction electrode through a corresponding opening in said acceleration electrode, said converter plate being operated at a first potential relative to said housing so that positive ions of said species generated in a discharge plasma column extending over and spaced from said ion converter surface are accelerated onto said converter surface to convert said positive ions to negative ions of said species by means of surface ionization and subsequently ejected from said converter surface back through said plasma column toward said exit slit in said extraction electrode and wherein said ion source is immersed in a magnetic field extending parallel to said converter surface; the improvement wherein said converter plate is in the form of a cylindrical section the inside concave surface of which forms said converter surface, said converter surface having a constant radius greater than the distance to said exit slit of said extraction electrode and wherein the focal line of said converter surface coincides with the geometric axis of said converter plate, said converter plate being disposed at an angle with respect to the direction of said beam of negative ions exiting said chamber so that said focal line is out of the path of said beam a sufficient distance to compensate for the magnetic field deflection of the negative ions ejected from said converter surface through said discharge plasma and focusing said negative ions into a beam which passes through said exit slit in said extraction electrode and wherein said acceleration electrode is positioned relative to said extraction electrode and operated at a second potential to provide said beam of negative ions in the form of a ribbon having a transverse divergence of less than 0.5 degrees.