Journal of Radio Electronics. eISSN 1684-1719. 2025. ¹11
Full text in Russian (pdf)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2025.11.9
17th International Conference
Gas Discharge Plasmas and Their Applications
Ekaterinburg, Russia, 8-12 September 2025
Study of the Mass-to-Charge Ratio
of an Arc Ion Source by Electromagnetic Techniques
A.S. Bugaev, V.I. Gushenets, E.M. Oks
Institute of High Current Electronics, SB RAS
634055, Russia, Tomsk, Akademichesky Avenue 2/3
The paper was received October 2, 2025.
Abstract. A modified ablative vacuum arc-based plasma generator is described. The system is widely used in scientific and engineering applications such as metallic coating synthesis, the production of intense metal ion beams, electric thrusters for small spacecraft, and other technologies. To enhance the efficiency of the plasma generator (i.e., increase ion yield), a plasma-optical system in the form of a cylindrical plasma lens was employed as one of its components. The arc discharge was initiated by surface breakdown along alumina ceramic Al₂O₃, as well as polytetrafluoroethylene (−C₂F₄−)n. The elemental and charge composition of the ion beam extracted from the vacuum arc plasma with a copper cathode was investigated using a bending-magnet-based separator. This method allowed for high temporal resolution measurements of ion beam evolution through direct detection of the separator collector signal. It was found that, in the case of a plasma generator with polytetrafluoroethylene, the content of carbon and fluorine ions significantly affected by the discharge current. At arc discharge currents below 70 A, the combined content of these ions does not exceed 15% of the copper ion yield. The effects of electrode voltage and magnetic field in the plasma lens on the mass-to-charge composition and temporal evolution of the ion beam was also studied for the plasma generator with arc discharge initiated by surface breakdown along the ceramic.
Key words: vacuum arc, ion source, plasma generator, bending magnet, plasma lens, multi-charged ions.
Financing: The research was supported within the framework of the state assignment of the IHCE SB RAS, grant FWRM-2021-0006
Corresponding author: Gushenets Vasily Ivanovich, gvi@opee.hcei.tsc.ru
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For citation:
Bugaev A.S., Gushenets V.I., Oks E.M. Study of the mass-to-charge ratio of an arc ion source by electromagnetic techniques. // Journal of Radio Electronics. – 2025. – ¹. 11. https://doi.org/10.30898/1684-1719.2025.11.9 (In Russian)