A simple rf-ion source of high efficiency with respect to power and gas consumption

An rf-ion source has been constructed which is featured with its small size, low power, and low gas consumption as well as the use of magnetic mirrorlike configuration at the source's axis. The source could yield an ion current up to 12 mA at 3 kV extracting voltage, magnetic field of 0.056 T, and argon discharge pressure of 20 mTorr. The use of magnetic field increases the extracted ion current in values ranging from three to eight times it original value. The extracted ion current has been investigated as a function of the discharge parameters, i.e., the oscillator input power, discharge pressure, magnetic field, and extracting voltage