Experimental study of ion beam optics in a two-stage accelerator

Hydrogen ion beam optics in a two-stage linear acceleration system is studied by examining the beam divergence as a function of the voltage and gap distribution, the beam perveance, the background gas pressure, the aspect ratio, and the total accelerating energy (60-110 keV). The system consists of four electrodes with single, cylindrical, straight-bore apertures acting as an extraction-accel-decel column. An optimum relation between the field ratio and the extraction perveance is obtained from measurements for the minimum beam divergence condition. The HWHM divergence angle is <0.3 degrees under optimum conditions. Qualitative agreement between the measurements and a previous theoretical study is noticed. A potential application of the results to high energy neutral beam injectors for fusion research is also discussed.