Extraction of ions from a plasma source and formation of beams

The current of ions extracted from a plasma source has been measured as a function of extraction voltage U e . Comparison of the obtained characteristics to theoretical predictions has shown that the experimental data agree with the Child-Langmuir theory only within a certain range of U e . The results of our measurements and computer simulation of the ion-beam profile allowed the assessment of the parameters of the ion-emitting surface and the average ion energy in the plasma of the source under study.