A new 14 GHz Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) for the Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility ATLAS

A new 14 GHz Electron-Cyclotron-Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS) has been designed and built over the last two years. The source, which is a modification of the AECR at Berkeley, incorporates the latest results from ECR developments to produce intense beams of highly charged ions, i.e. an improved magnetic confinement of the plasma electrons. The aluminum plasma chamber and extraction electrode as well as a biased disk on axis at the microwave injection side donate additional electrons to the plasma, making use of the large secondary electron yield from aluminum oxide. The source will be capable of ECR plasma heating using two different frequencies simultaneously to increase the electron energy gain for the production of high charge states. To be able to deliver usable intensities of the heaviest ion beams, the design will also allow axial access for metal evaporation ovens and solid material samples using the plasma sputtering technique. The main design goal is to produce several eμA of at least 238U34+ in order to accelerate the beam to coulomb-barrier energies without further stripping. First charge state distributions for 160 and 40Ar have been measured