Speaker
Description
Recent developments at CAMECA build on the pioneering work of P. Sortais on ultracompact Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) micro-sources, extended into the TES (Tubular ECR Sources) family. These devices rely on microwave-driven micro-cavity discharges operating at very low power (~1 W), defining a regime that departs from conventional ECR sources requiring tens to hundreds of watts.
Stable ECR plasmas are sustained in sub-centimeter cavities combining strong magnetic field gradients and efficient microwave coupling. The resulting sources, integrated in compact CF-standard footprints (from CF40 to CF100 depending on beam energy desired), require no active cooling and enable straightforward integration into UHV instrumentation while offering high reliability and long lifetime due to their filament-free design.
Despite their compactness, these sources generate high-brightness ion and electron beams, with intrinsic performance exceeding conventional RF plasma sources used in SIMS, confirming efficient ECR operation at the micro-scale. Their unique versatility allows operation as ion, electron, or negative ion sources by solely adjusting operating conditions.
These performances open perspectives for next-generation SIMS instrumentation, improving beam stability, brightness, and flexibility in industrial environments. In parallel, new developments include high-temperature ECR configurations enabling metallic ion production, extending the capabilities of these compact sources.
| Classification | MC2: New concepts and next generation sources |
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