Ion-optical phase volume compression
First Claim
1. Method to produce a fine monoenergetic ion beam comprising the steps:
- (a) injecting ions into a gas-filled conditioning cell with a longitudinal axis and a terminal exit diaphragm system, whereby the ions thermalize,(b) collecting the thermalized ions in a potential well that extends along the axis in front of the exit diaphragm system, and(c) draining thermalized ions out of the conditioning cell via a central potential minimum in the exit diaphragm system, thus generating a fine beam whose ions have a high degree of energy homogeneity.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method for damping the kinetic energy of ions in ion cells filled with collision gas and with an exit aperture to drain the ions out of the cell. The invention uses a conditioning cell with an adjustable DC potential which decreases towards the exit aperture to compress the phase volume of the ions by damping their kinetic energies, collecting the ions after thermalization in the spatial potential minimum thus created and letting them drain away relatively slowly through a central potential minimum in the exit aperture system. This facilitates the production of very fine, highly parallel ion beams which consist of almost monoenergetic ions. In particular, the method can also be coupled with a fragmentation of the ions.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. Method to produce a fine monoenergetic ion beam comprising the steps:
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(a) injecting ions into a gas-filled conditioning cell with a longitudinal axis and a terminal exit diaphragm system, whereby the ions thermalize, (b) collecting the thermalized ions in a potential well that extends along the axis in front of the exit diaphragm system, and (c) draining thermalized ions out of the conditioning cell via a central potential minimum in the exit diaphragm system, thus generating a fine beam whose ions have a high degree of energy homogeneity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification