A differential-spectrum ion-energy analyzer with electrostatic slanted grids

Abstract

A novel end-loss ion-energy spectrometer is designed for plasma-ion diagnostics in open-ended plasma-confinement devices. This analyzer significantly upgrades a previous slanted grid end-loss analyzer (SELA) to essentially eliminate secondary-electron current, and to provide a differential-spectrum mode of operation, in addition to the usual integral-spectrum operation of gridded ion-energy analyzers. The upgraded SELA does not perturb the ambient magnetic field due to its electrostatic operation. Either the differential or integral spectra are obtained by a time sweep of grid voltages, collecting the ion current on a single-channel plate. Because the angular alignment of the SELA is not critical, it can be used as a spatially scannable diagnostic of ion-energy distributions and plasma potentials. It is characterized using computer simulations of ion trajectories, monoenergetic ion beams, and end-loss plasma from the world’s largest tandem mirror—GAMMA 10.