A 100 mA Metal Ion Source Test Stand

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) recently built a 100 mA ion source test stand as part of an effort by the U.S. Department of Energy Isotope Program to advance our nation's plasma-based enrichment technology. Each element we enrich can come with its own set of challenges, such as feedstock delivery and plasma chemistry, that can affect the rate at which the target element is ionized and extracted. The ion source test stand is equipped with a suite of plasma and beam diagnostics systems that allow the study of physical and chemical processes driving metal plasma generation and beam extraction. In this presentation, some of the general capabilities of ORNL's ion source test stand will be discussed along with how it is being used by academic collaborators to advance plasma and ion beam physics research.