- About Us
- People
- Undergrad
- Graduate
- Research
- News & Events
- Equity
- Why Physics @SFU
- _how-to
- Congratulations to our Class of 2021
- Archive
- AKCSE
- Atlas Tier 1 Data Centre
Student Seminar
Development of a Negative Helium Ion Source with Non-Metallic Charge Exchange
Philip Jackle, SFU Physics
Location: C9000
Synopsis
Negative Helium ion beams are required for tandem accelerators used at research centers and at implanter facilities. The common production method of such He鈦 beams involve the interaction of a positive Helium ion beam with a low pressure alkali metal vapour. This results in a small portion of He鈦 undergoing two charge exchanges to create the desired He鈦, on the order of a few percent. However, utilizing alkali metal vapour is problematic: leaving interior surfaces prone to flammability, contributing to sparking near electrostatic devices, and, for implanter facilities, negatively impacting silicon wafer production due to metallic contamination. Additionally, the use of a vapour for charge exchange requires a specialized vacuum system and considerable expense to limit the dispersion of the vapour. In efforts to address or remove these issues, a possible alternative creation method for He鈦 is being explored at SFU, which uses a non-metallic foil as the charge exchange medium.
In this presentation we shall outline the need for He鈦 beams, how they are commonly created and used, and the issues with this method. We shall also describe efforts at SFU to investigate an alternative method, namely, using the He鈦 beam generated by SFU鈥檚 helium ion microscope (HIM) to measure the conversion rate to He鈦 using non-metallic foils. Efforts and results to date will be presented, as well as a discussion of obstacles and future plans.