Quantification of the deuterium ion fluxes from a plasma source

Abstract

We present an electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma source with a biased sample holder that is well suited for the implantation of deuterium ions into tungsten. Achievable energies range from several electronvolts up to 200 eV per deuteron. The deuterium ion fluxes from this plasma source were thoroughly quantified with a retarding field analyser and a plasma monitor, i.e. an energy resolving mass spectrometer. We present the results of these measurements for different microwave input powers, D2 gas pressures and sample bias settings. Typical achievable deuteron fluxes are of the order of 1019 to 1020 D m-2 s-1 and are predominantly carried by D+3 ions. Additionally, an attempt to quantify the flux of neutral deuterium atoms to the sample surface is presented. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.