Enhancement of H+ fraction in hydrogen ion sources by means of predissociation method

Abstract

The H⁺ fraction of a hydrogen beam from a duoPIGatron ion source has been enhanced by a predissociation method, in which the hydrogen gas is predissociated in a hot tungsten oven prior to the arc discharge, while the recombination rate is minimized by hot walls inside the arc chamber. Preliminary results indicate the method can result in a substantial increase in the H⁺ fraction.