Plasma characterization of a microwave discharge ion source with mirror magnetic field configuration

Microwave coupling to plasma through cavity dependent resonant modes is one of the key aspects in a microwave discharge ion source (MDIS) for improving the ion beam qualities as well as plasma dynamics. Knowing these concerns, a MDIS is designed, fabricated, and developed at Institute for Plasma Research to produce high current and a low emittance ion beam for accelerator applications. The present manuscript reports the development of MDIS and the characterization results of the first plasma produced by launching a microwave (MW) of frequency 2.45 GHz. The plasma is characterized at a particular distance away from the ion extraction aperture, using three diagnostics tools such as a Langmuir Probe (LP), Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), and a microwave spectrum analyzer. The required mirror-B magnetic field is created by placing four high power ring magnets (each magnet pole strength is 1.38 T) around the cylindrical source chamber. All diagnostics measurements are performed under an operating pressure of range 2 × 10^-4-1 × 10^-3 mbar and the plasma absorbed power of 30-160 W. The measured cold electron temperature and density varies in the range of ∼1.5-11.8 eV and 5.6 × 10¹⁶ m^-3-6 × 10¹⁷ m^-3, respectively, within the source volume. The electron population has distinct hot and cold plasma temperature. The hot electron temperature changes from ∼20 to 70 eV within the above absorbed power range. The LP and OES measurements witnessed the density jumps from under-dense (∼7.3 × 10¹⁶ m^-3) to over-dense (∼2.9 × 10¹⁷ m^-3) for the change in absorbed power from 50 W to 80 W. This density jump is accompanied by the sideband generation around the cavity resonant mode (including the launched MW) frequencies which range from 238 kHz to 873 kHz and is recognized as ion waves from the dispersion relation. The ion temperature, estimated from these observed low frequency instabilities, changes from 0.095 to 1.25 eV. The influences of these instabilities on beam emittance growth are of paramount importance in future studies.