Ion Angular and Initial Energy Distributions in Arc Discharge Deuterium Ion Source

Ion beams of hydrogen isotopes are of interest for accelerator and surface modification technologies. One of the methods of the generation of hydrogen-isotope ion beams is by using a high-current arc discharge ion source with hydrogen-saturated electrodes. The divergence of an ion beam is determined by the initial energy and angular distributions of ions. Some applications require ion beams with a divergence of 100 mrad or less. This paper analyzes the initial energy and angular distributions of ions in an ion source based on an arc discharge with a deuterated zirconium electrode. The analysis shows that the angular distribution of deuterium ions, compared to zirconium ions, is much broader and that the initial energy of zirconium ions in the ion beam is greater than the initial energy of deuterium ions.