Production of molecular ion beams using an electron cyclotron resonance ion source

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Vol. 640; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Draganić, I.N., Bannister, M.E., Meyer, F.W., Vane, C.R., Havener, C.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier B.V 01-06-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Detectors; Electron cyclotron resonance; Electron cyclotron resonance ion source; Enrichment; Heating; Ion beam; Ion beams; Ion sources; Molecular beams; Molecular ion; Spectrometers; Ion beam; Molecular ion; Electron cyclotron resonance ion source
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2011.02.090

An all-permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source is tuned to create a variety of intense molecular ion beams for basic research. Based on simultaneous injection of several gases with spectroscopic high purity or enriched isotope content (e.g., H
2, D
2, N
2, O
2 or CO) and low power microwave heating, the ECR ion source produces diatomic molecular ion beams of H
2
+, D
2
+, HD
+, HO
+, DO
+, NH
+, ND
+ and more complex polyatomic molecular ions such as H
3
+, D
3
+, HD
2
+, H
2O
+, D
2O
+, H
3O
+, D
3O
+, and NH
n
+, ND
n
+ with
n=2,3,4 and possibly higher. Molecular ion beams have been produced with very high current intensities compared to other molecular beam sources. The recorded molecular ion beam spectra are discussed.