Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme

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SYOF: Symposium Anwendungen der Plasmatechnik in der Herstellung optischer Funktionsschichten

SYOF 2: Plasmatechnik/ Anwendungen/ Analytik

SYOF 2.2: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 17:00–17:30, 2G

Radio Frequency ion sources, from space to terrestrial applications. — •Davar Feili — Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen

The 1st physics Institute of the Justus Liebig University at Giessen has been working on Radio Frequency ion sources since more than 45 years after the invention of RF-ion thrusters (RITs) by Prof. Horst Loeb. This type of ion sources uses RF to produce plasma as the source for the ions, which can be extracted, focused and accelerated towards a target. The use of cathodeless RF discharge for ionisation, makes this technology preferable for different applications. One of the most outstanding applications is the RF ion Thrusters (RIT), which are under development and use in cooperation with EADS Company.

Other sides the inherent isolation of the plasma from the discharge power supply, makes it the first choice for application with very high extraction/acceleration voltages, for example RF ion sources for plasma heating in fusion machines.

As ion sources for material processing, this technology is of great interest because of its capability to work with oxidising gases. This technology needs no cathode for discharge, which can be *poisoned* in oxidising atmospheres. The same reason makes the technology also adoptable for electron sources/neutralizers in such atmospheres.

The talk will deal with the history of RF ion sources and their applications and, describing the key features of the technology, it will cover the application spectrum of this type of sources. Finally the most recent applications from space research and fusion and material processing will be showed.