The L3A facility at the Vinca Institute: Surface modification of materials, by heavy ion beams from an electron cyclotron resonance ion source

This article describes the L3A experimental facility for surface modification of materials at the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, in Belgrade. This facility was completed and put into operation in May 1998. It is connected to the mVINIS ion source, an electron cyclotron resonance ion source capable of producing a wide range of multiply charged ions from gaseous and solid substances. The heavy ion beams obtained from mVINIS are separated by charge to mass ratio (q/m) and transported to the target chamber for sample irradiation and modification. The target chamber is equipped with a multipurpose target holder, an electron-beam evaporation source for thin layer deposition, a residual gas analyzer, and other auxiliary equipment. There is also an additional low energy argon ion source for target preparation/sputtering and for ion beam assisted deposition. In this article we describe the layout and performances of the L3A facility, the experience gained during 1 yr of operation, and the requirements imposed by the current and future experimental programs. Currently, there are 24 experimental programs competing for the ion beam time at the L3A facility. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00)59102-3].