Design of a plasma chamber for a high-density 10 kW ECR ion source

TL;DR

This paper presents the design and testing of a water-cooled plasma chamber capable of handling 10 kW microwave power for a high-density ECR ion source, ensuring high plasma density and thermal management.

Contribution

It introduces a novel water-cooled plasma chamber design that withstands high power densities for gasdynamic ECR ion sources, with successful long-term testing.

Findings

Chamber handles 10 kW microwave power safely.

Achieved plasma density of 250 W/cm³.

Operated continuously for 200 hours without issues.

Abstract

Gasdynamic electron cyclotron resonance ion sources are known for their ability to produce huge currents of low to moderately charged ion beams with superior quality. This is achieved by means of tens of kW of microwave heating power, leading to high plasma density. Average power density in the plasma chamber may reach hundreds of W/cm$^3$, which poses very high thermal load to plasma chamber walls. A water-cooled plasma chamber has been developed for the GISMO gasdynamic ECRIS, which is able to handle 10 kW of input microwave power with average power density in the plasma of 250 W/cm$^3$. The plasma chamber was manufactured and successfully tested for 200 hours.