Trajectory calculations of the extraction region of a liquid-metal ion source

In the ion-extraction region of a liquid-metal (LM) source, several phenomena occur (e.g., electrostatic-lens action, axial and transverse space-charge interactions) that have major effects on the performance of the source. In an effort to better understand these effects, a trajectory analysis was made of the ion-extraction region. The trajectory calculations showed an appreciable increase in beam divergence at a Ga+ source current of only 5 μA