A large-acceptance beam-deceleration module for retrofitting into ion-source beam lines

We describe a large-acceptance deceleration module capable of decelerating large-emittance full-intensity ion beams typical of ECR ion sources to very low energies with high efficiency. The deceleration module is designed to permit convenient retrofitting into an existing beam line to replace, e.g., the first Faraday cup after magnetic analysis of the beam extracted from the ion source. For starting energies of 10 keV, and incident ion currents as large as 300 μA, deceleration efficiencies have been measured to be greater than 80% for final energies as low as 70 eV. The decelerated beam intensity can be monitored either by insertion of a beam catcher floating at the final deceleration voltage or from the current to the exit grid itself, with suitable correction applied for the grid transparency factor. The behavior of the deceleration optics was modeled using SIMION, incorporating the effects of intra-beam space charge repulsion. We describe a recent application of this deceleration module to study near-surface He bubble and blister formation of a W target heated to 1250 K and irradiated with a 98 eV He ion beam with a flux of ∼1016 cm−2 s−1.