CN115985754A - Ion source - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide an ion source comprising: a gasification mechanism for gasifying a solid feedstock to form saturated steam, the gasification mechanism comprising: a plurality of crucibles for containing solid feedstock; a heating member for heating the crucible to vaporize the solid material into saturated vapor; the distribution mechanism is provided with a plurality of gas inlets and a plurality of gas outlets, and each gas inlet is connected with one crucible; the plasma generating mechanisms are respectively connected with the gas outlets to receive saturated steam from the gasification mechanisms, the plasma generating mechanisms are provided with discharge cavities, and the saturated steam can be ionized in the discharge cavities to form plasmas; the electron emission mechanism can emit electrons into the discharge cavity so as to ionize saturated steam in the discharge cavity; and the extraction mechanism can apply an electric field to the plasma formed in the discharge cavity so as to extract the plasma out of the discharge cavity and form ion beam current.

Description

Ion source

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of electromagnetic devices, in particular to an ion source.

Background

The isotope electromagnetic separator is a main device for separating isotopes, and deflects the formed ion beam current through a magnetic field to separate the isotopes. The ion source is used for providing ion beam current for the isotope electromagnetic separator, the intensity of the ion beam current directly influences the capacity of the isotope electromagnetic separator, the intensity of the ion beam current provided by the ion source provided by the related technology is limited, and the capacity of the isotope electromagnetic separator is limited.

Disclosure of Invention

To address at least one of the above and other problems in the prior art, an ion source is provided.

The embodiment of the present application provides an ion source for providing an ion beam current, which includes: a gasification mechanism for gasifying a solid feedstock to form saturated steam, the gasification mechanism comprising: a plurality of crucibles for containing solid feedstock; a heating member for heating the crucible to vaporize the solid material into saturated vapor; the distribution mechanism is provided with a plurality of gas inlets and a plurality of gas outlets, and each gas inlet is connected with one crucible; the plasma generating mechanisms are respectively connected with the gas outlets to receive saturated steam from the gasification mechanisms, the plasma generating mechanisms are provided with discharge cavities, and the saturated steam can be ionized in the discharge cavities to form plasmas; the electron emission mechanism can emit electrons into the discharge cavity so as to ionize saturated steam in the discharge cavity; and the leading-out mechanism can apply an electric field to the plasma formed in the discharge cavity so as to lead the plasma out of the discharge cavity and form ion beam current.

The ion source provided by the embodiment of the application can provide ion beam current with higher intensity, so that the capacity of the isotope electromagnetic separator is effectively improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an isometric schematic view of an ion source according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a top view of an ion source according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ion source according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic isometric view of an ion source according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a dispensing mechanism according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a disassembled schematic view of a dispensing mechanism according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a dispensing mechanism according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a support mechanism according to one embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of an ion source according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural view of a gasification mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a schematic view of a filament support structure according to one embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present application firstly provide an ion source, which is mainly applied to provide an ion beam current for an electromagnetic separator, but may also be applied to other application scenarios where an ion beam current needs to be provided, for example, and without limitation, to an ion accelerator, a mass spectrometer, an electromagnetic isotope separator, an ion implanter, an ion beam etching apparatus, an ion thruster, and a neutral beam injector in a controlled fusion apparatus.

The ion source generates ion beam current based on the basic principle that solid raw materials are heated to form saturated steam, the saturated steam is ionized under the action of electrons to form plasma, and the plasma is led out to form ion beam current. The ion beam current provided by the ion source in the related art is generally low in intensity, and the working efficiency of the equipment in which the ion source is arranged is influenced.

To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides an ion source, and referring to fig. 1 to 3, the ion source provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a vaporizing mechanism 10, a dispensing mechanism 20, a plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30, an electron emitting mechanism 40, and an extracting mechanism 50.

Gasification mechanism 10 is configured to gasify a solid feedstock, which may include, but is not limited to, compounds such as rubidium chloride (RbCl), to form saturated steam, and any suitable compounds known in the art may be used as the solid feedstock by one skilled in the art, without limitation. The gasification mechanism 10 may be configured with a suitable container and heating device, and during actual use, the solid feedstock may be placed in the container and heated using the heating device to gasify it into saturated steam.

The distribution mechanism 20 is provided with at least one gas inlet 201 and a plurality of gas outlets 202, wherein the gas inlet 201 is connected with the gasification mechanism 10, and the plurality of gas outlets 202 are respectively connected with the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30, so that the distribution mechanism 20 can distribute the saturated steam formed by gasifying the solid raw material in the gasification mechanism 10 into the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30.

Each plasma generating mechanism 30 is formed with a discharge chamber 301, and saturated steam can be ionized to form plasma in the discharge chamber 301. The electron emission mechanism 40 can emit electrons into the discharge cavity 301, the electrons entering the discharge cavity 301 collide with the saturated steam, so that the saturated steam in the discharge cavity 301 is ionized to form plasma, and the plasma formed in the discharge cavity 301 can be led out of the discharge cavity 301 under the action of an electric field applied by the lead-out mechanism 30 to form ion beam current.

Although fig. 1-3 each illustrate an embodiment in which two plasma generating mechanisms 30 are provided, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a greater number of plasma generating mechanisms 30 may be provided as the case may be. The specific structure of each plasma generation mechanism 30 can refer to the related art in the field, and the specific structures of several plasma generation mechanisms 30 will be described in detail in the related section below, and will not be described again.

In order to enable the electron emission mechanism 40 to emit electrons into the discharge chamber 301, a structure allowing the electrons to pass through may be disposed on the plasma generation mechanism 30, which may correspond to the position of the electron emission mechanism 40, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the electron emission mechanism 40 is disposed above the plasma generation mechanism 30, and an electron window 302 is disposed on the top of the discharge chamber 301 corresponding thereto, so that the electrons emitted by the electron emission mechanism 40 can enter the discharge chamber 301 through the electron window 302.

The electron emission mechanism 40 may be any suitable device capable of emitting electrons provided in the related art, for example, the electron emission mechanism 40 may be a hot cathode discharge device that may emit electrons by heating a cathode through a filament. The detailed structure of the electron emission mechanisms 40 will be described in detail in the relevant portions below, and will not be described in detail here.

The extracting mechanism 50 may apply an electric field into the discharge chamber 301 to extract the plasma in the discharge chamber 301, in some embodiments, the extracting mechanism 50 may include one or more extracting electrodes disposed inside or at one side of the plasma generating mechanism 30, for example, the extracting mechanism 50 may include a first electrode disposed on one wall of the plasma generating mechanism 30, a second electrode and a third electrode disposed at one side of the plasma generating mechanism 30, the first electrode may be particularly disposed in the wall at one side of the discharge chamber 301 where the outlet (extraction slit) is formed, and the second electrode and the third electrode may be electrode plates.

In some embodiments, the second electrode may be at a negative potential, and the third electrode may be at a zero potential, which on the one hand prevents electrons in the plasma of the extracted ion beam current from being attracted by the positive potential to the second electrode, so as to prevent the discharge chamber 301 from being damaged by overheating. On the other hand, electron loss in plasma of the extracted ion beam current is prevented, and space charge compensation and focusing of the ion beam current are facilitated. This is advantageous for improving the intensity of the extracted ion beam.

It will be appreciated that the size of the discharge chamber 301 formed by the single plasma generating mechanism 30 is severely limited, and the inappropriate size will make it difficult to achieve effective ionization of saturated vapor to form plasma, which is one of the main factors that limit the intensity of the ion beam formed by the ion source. In the present application, a plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 are simultaneously disposed in one ion source, and the distribution mechanism 20 is used to distribute the saturated steam formed in the gasification mechanism 10 to each plasma generating mechanism 30, so that the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 can simultaneously operate and generate an ion beam, thereby effectively improving the intensity of the ion beam that can be generated by the ion source.

It can be understood that, in the actual use process, it is necessary to ensure that the opening (extraction slit) of the plasma generation mechanism 30 and the opening (extraction slit) of the extraction mechanism 50 can be aligned accurately, so as to ensure that the plasma is extracted successfully to form an ion beam, and compared with an ion source having only one plasma generation mechanism 30, the ion source in the present embodiment has a plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30, and a plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 need to be aligned with the extraction mechanism 50 at the same time, so that the implementation difficulty is higher.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 are further arranged so that the relative positions of the plasma generation mechanisms 30 are adjustable, so that the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 can be aligned with the extraction mechanism 50 at the same time by adjusting the relative positions of the plasma generation mechanisms 30, thereby reducing the requirement of accuracy in manufacturing to some extent and saving the manufacturing cost.

The relative position adjustment mentioned in the present embodiment means that each plasma generation mechanism 30 can move relative to the other plasma generation mechanism 30 in at least one degree of freedom, for example, referring to fig. 1 and 4, in the embodiment in which two plasma generation mechanisms 30 are arranged side by side, it is usually necessary to adjust the distance between the two plasma generation mechanisms 30, and the distance between the two plasma generation mechanisms 30 in the embodiment shown in fig. 4 is enlarged compared with fig. 1. In some other embodiments, there may be a need to adjust the relative position between the plasma generating mechanisms 30 in other degrees of freedom, and one skilled in the art can set this according to actual needs.

In actual use, the plasma generating mechanisms 30 are usually fixed on a certain component or an external device, and the relative positions of the plasma generating mechanisms 30 to each other can be adjusted by slidably connecting the plasma generating mechanisms 30 with the components.

In some embodiments, each plasma generation mechanism 30 may specifically include a bar 31 and an end tab 32. The strip 31 is communicated with the gas outlet 202, a through groove is formed on the wall surface of the strip opposite to the gas outlet 202, the end plate 32 is arranged at the notch position between two groove walls of the through groove, so that the notch of the through groove is covered to form the discharge cavity 301, and the end plate 32 is provided with an end slit 303 for leading the plasma out of the discharge cavity 301.

In some embodiments, the strips 31 of the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 may be arranged parallel to each other, thereby making it easier to adjust the positional relationship of the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 and to align the lead-out slits 303 of the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 with the lead-out mechanism 50 at the same time.

In some embodiments, the plasma generating mechanism 30 further comprises a reflective shell 33 and a heating wire 34. A reflective shell 33 is arranged outside the strip 31 and a heating wire 34 is fixedly connected to the reflective shell 33.

The reflective shell 33 is used for reflecting the ions and heat overflowed from the plasma generating mechanism 30 to avoid the loss of the ions and heat, and as an example, the reflective shell 33 may be provided with a heat insulating layer and formed with an electric field to achieve the function of reflecting the ions and heat.

The heating wire 34 is used to heat the discharge chamber 301 so that it can operate at a suitable temperature. The heating wire 34 may be one of those commonly used in the art, and may be fixedly connected to the reflecting shell 33 in an insulating manner to prevent a short circuit therebetween. The number, location, etc. of the heating wires 34 can be determined by one skilled in the art according to the specific heating requirements, without limitation.

In some embodiments, when the plasma generating mechanisms 30 are closely spaced, multiple plasma generating mechanisms 30 may share one reflective shell 33, such as the embodiment shown in fig. 1 where two plasma generating mechanisms 30 share one reflective shell 33. In some embodiments, if the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 are spaced apart, each plasma generating mechanism 30 may be provided with a reflective shell 33, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, two plasma generating mechanisms 30 are each provided with a reflective shell 33.

The reflective shell 33 may be adapted to the shape of the bar 31 to better provide the reflective function, and the skilled person may determine the size of the reflective shell 33 according to the size of the bar used, without limitation.

In some embodiments, whether the reflecting shells 33 are shared by a plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 or the reflecting shells 33 are respectively arranged, it is necessary to ensure that all the plasma generating mechanisms 30 are provided with the same arrangement and number of heating wires 34. To ensure that the discharge chambers 301 of the plasma generating mechanisms 30 have the same temperature, so as to ensure that the saturated steam in the distributing mechanism 20 can enter each discharge chamber 301 more uniformly without causing uneven gas distribution due to temperature difference.

In some embodiments, the extraction mechanism 50 may be disposed opposite the extraction plate 32 and further configured such that the distance between the extraction plate 32 and the extraction slit 50 is adjustable to ensure that the extraction slit on the extraction mechanism 50 can be aligned with the extraction slit 303 on the extraction plate 32 and has a suitable distance such that it can more efficiently extract the plasma into the ion beam stream.

Further, in some embodiments described above, the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 are arranged to be adjustable in relative position to each other, and the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 are all connected to the distributing mechanism 20, so that when the relative position of the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 to each other is changed, the distributing mechanism 20 is necessarily adjusted accordingly. Meanwhile, in some other embodiments, even if the relative positions of the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 to each other are not adjustable, when the specifications of the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30 are changed, the adjustment of the distribution mechanism 20 is also required.

To this end, in some embodiments, referring to fig. 5, the dispensing mechanism 20 may include an inlet pipe 21 and a plurality of outlet pipes 22, each inlet pipe 21 having a gas inlet 201 disposed thereon, each outlet pipe 22 having a gas outlet 202 disposed thereon, wherein the plurality of outlet pipes 22 are slidably connected to the inlet pipe 21 such that the relative positions of the plurality of outlet pipes 22 to each other are adjustable. In the present embodiment, the relative positions of the plurality of outlet pipes 22 of the distribution mechanism 20 are adjustable, so that when the relative positions of the plasma distribution mechanisms 30 are changed or the specifications of the plasma distribution mechanisms 30 are changed, the relative positions of the plurality of outlet pipes 22 can be directly adjusted to connect the plasma distribution mechanisms 30 without replacing the new distribution mechanism 20.

The sliding connection between the outlet pipe 22 and the inlet pipe 21 can be set according to the relative position adjustment requirement of the plasma generating mechanism 30, for example, when the plasma generating mechanism 30 is set to be adjustable in pitch, the outlet pipe 22 is also set to be adjustable in pitch.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of the dispensing mechanism 20 in a disassembled state in some embodiments, referring to fig. 5 and 6, in which the outlet pipes 22 may include a connecting portion 221 and an extending portion 222, during use, the connecting portion 221 may be at least partially inserted into the inlet pipe 21 and may be capable of sliding in the inlet pipe 21 to achieve adjustment of the relative positions of the outlet pipes 22 to each other, while the extending portion 222 may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the inlet pipe 21 after installation, and the gas outlet 202 may be disposed at an end of the extending portion 222 away from the inlet pipe 21. The inlet tube 21 and the outlet tube 22 may be sealed in a sliding connection in a suitable manner, for example, the connection between the two may be provided with a sealing gasket, or the two may be fitted relatively tightly to ensure airtightness.

In the present embodiment, the adjustment of the relative position between the outlet pipes 22 is achieved by the sliding connection between the connecting portion 221 and the inlet pipe 21, and the structure is simple. On the other hand, since the gas outlet 202 is disposed at the distal end of the extension portion 222, and the extension portion 222 extends toward the direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the inlet tube 21, the plasma generation mechanism 30 connected to the gas outlet 202 is relatively far away from the sliding connection between the inlet tube 21 and the outlet tube 22, and in the actual use process, even in the state where the plasma generation mechanism 30 and the distribution mechanism 20 are connected, the operator can still conveniently complete the position adjustment of the plurality of outlet tubes 22 without detaching the plasma generation mechanism 30, which is convenient to use.

Further, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1-4 with two plasma generating mechanisms 30, the gas inlet 201 may be specifically arranged on the wall of the inlet pipe 21, and the dispensing mechanism 20 may comprise two outlet pipes 22, and the two outlet pipes 22 are respectively connected to two ends of the inlet pipe 21 in the extending direction in a sliding manner. In this embodiment, the inlet pipe 21 actually forms a three-way structure, and the outlet pipe 22 is connected to two of the openings of the inlet pipe 21, so as to further optimize the structure of the dispensing mechanism 20.

In some embodiments, the plurality of outlet tubes 22 may be symmetrically distributed about the gas inlet 201. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the central symmetrical distribution helps to distribute the saturated vapor entering the distribution mechanism 20 more evenly to each plasma generation mechanism 30, thereby ensuring that each plasma generation mechanism 30 can generate plasma with higher efficiency and maximizing the intensity of the ion beam current.

As described above, in some embodiments, the relative position of the outlet pipes 22 is adjustable, and in practical use, the skilled person can reasonably select the adjustment manner to make the outlet pipes 22 still symmetrically distributed around the gas inlet 201 after the relative position changes, so as to ensure the uniformity of the distribution of the saturated vapor.

In some embodiments, reference is made to fig. 7. The inlet pipe 21 may be provided with a plurality of gas inlets 201. It can be understood that the ion source provided by the embodiment of the present application is provided with a plurality of plasma generation mechanisms 30, so that the demand for the amount of saturated steam is correspondingly increased, and if a sufficient amount of saturated steam cannot be provided, the performance of the plasma generation mechanism 30 cannot be maximally utilized, and for this purpose, a plurality of gasification mechanisms 10 may be provided, or a plurality of containers may be provided in one gasification mechanism 10 to simultaneously generate saturated steam, so as to increase the source of the saturated steam, thereby ensuring a sufficient supply of saturated steam, and some specific arrangements will be described in the relevant portions below. Correspondingly, a plurality of gas inlets 201 need to be provided on the inlet tube 21 to distribute the saturated vapor from a plurality of sources to the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30.

In some embodiments, the plurality of gas inlets 201 may be arranged side by side on the wall of the inlet pipe 21, and in some other embodiments, the plurality of gas inlets 201 may also be arranged on the inlet pipe 21 in other suitable manners, which may be specifically dependent on the arrangement manner of the gasification mechanism 10.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment having a plurality of gas inlets 201, the plurality of gas inlets 201 may be distributed in a central symmetry, the plurality of gas outlets 202 are also distributed in a central symmetry, and the symmetry centers of the plurality of gas inlets 201 and the plurality of gas outlets 202 coincide, so as to ensure uniformity of gas distribution.

In some embodiments, still referring to fig. 1-4, the ion source may further comprise a support mechanism 60, the support mechanism 60 being configured to support the plasma generating structure 30 so as to maintain the relative positions of the vaporizing mechanism 10, the dispensing mechanism 20, and the plasma generating structure 30. The support mechanism 60 may be a flange, a bracket, or other suitable support structure, and those skilled in the art can select a suitable support mechanism 60 according to the positional relationship among the specific gasification mechanism 10, distribution mechanism 20, and plasma generation mechanism 30.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, 4 and 8, the support mechanism 60 may specifically include a plate body 61 and a through hole 62. The plate body 61 is used to connect with the plasma generating mechanism 30 to support the plasma generating mechanism 30, and during a specific use, the plasma generating mechanism 30 and the distributing mechanism 20 may be disposed on one side of the plate body 61, and the vaporizing mechanism 10 is disposed on the other side of the plate body 61. A through hole 62 is provided on the plate body 61, the through hole 62 allowing the vaporizing mechanism 10 to pass at least partially through the plate body 61 to be coupled with the dispensing mechanism 20 provided on the other side of the plate body 61.

In this embodiment, the support mechanism 60 is actually a flange structure, which can support the plasma generation mechanism 30 and provide a certain support for the vaporization mechanism 10, so as to ensure the stability of the whole ion source and reduce the possibility of the distribution mechanism 20 being broken or deflected by external force.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the plurality of plasma generating mechanisms 30 to be adjustable in position relative to one another, as described above, in such embodiments, the support mechanism 60 may further include a guide slot 63 and a connector 64. The guide groove 63 may be provided at a side of the plate body 61 facing the plasma generating mechanism 30, and one end of the connecting member 64 may be slidably provided in the guide groove 63 and the other end connected to the plasma generating mechanism 30.

In this embodiment, the guide groove 63 and the connecting member 64 that can slide in the guide groove 63 are provided on the plate body 61 to connect the plasma generation mechanism 30, so that the position of the plasma generation mechanism 30 can be conveniently and quickly adjusted by sliding the connecting member 64. The specific arrangement of the guide groove 63 may be determined according to the position adjustment requirement of the plasma generation mechanism 30, for example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 4, the distance between two plasma generation mechanisms 30 needs to be adjusted, and in this case, the guide groove 63 may be configured in an oblong shape as shown in fig. 8.

It is understood that each plasma generation mechanism 30 requires at least one connection member 64 for connection, and the connection members 64 may share one guide groove 63 or may be respectively disposed in different guide grooves 63, without limitation.

The connector 64 may be any suitable connection structure and the guide slot 63 may be adapted to the connector 64. As an example, the connecting member 64 may include a bolt, and in this case, the guide groove 63 may be a through hole penetrating the plate body 61, and the bolt may freely slide in the guide groove 63 from the guide groove 63. As another example, the link 64 may include a slider, and the guide groove 63 may be a slide groove.

In this embodiment, the support mechanism 60 can better adapt to the position adjustment requirement of the plasma generation mechanism 30 by arranging the guide groove 63 and the connecting member 64, and meanwhile, the support mechanism 60 can also better adapt to plasma generation mechanisms 30 with different specifications, so that frequent replacement of the support mechanism 60 in the actual use process is avoided.

In some embodiments, the connecting member 64 may extend in a direction away from the plate body 61, such that a gap is formed between the plasma generating mechanism 30 and the plate body 61, and the dispensing mechanism 20 may be disposed in the gap. As shown in fig. 1 and 4, in the present embodiment, a gap capable of setting the distribution mechanism 20 is formed between the plate body 61 and the plasma generation mechanism 30 through the connecting member 64, so that when an operator adjusts the position of the plasma generation mechanism 30, the position of the outlet pipe 22 in the distribution mechanism 20 can be adjusted simultaneously through the gap, and the operation is easier.

In some embodiments, the connecting member 64 and the plasma generating mechanism 30 may be slidably connected, thereby enabling the plasma generating mechanism 20 to move toward or away from the plate body 61. The present embodiment further provides the plasma generating mechanism 20 with the capability of position adjustment in more degrees of freedom.

In some embodiments, the support mechanism 60 may further include a fixing member 65, and the fixing member 65 is configured to fix the connecting member 64 at the target position in the guide groove, so that it cannot slide further, thereby ensuring the stability of the plasma generating mechanism 30 during actual use and preventing the plasma generating mechanism from sliding accidentally. The target position may be a suitable position determined by an operator after debugging in the actual use process, and is not limited to this. The fixing member 65 may be appropriately arranged according to the type of the connecting member 64 used, for example, if the connecting member 64 is a bolt, the fixing member 65 may be two nuts, and the two nuts may be screwed into the bolt from both ends of the bolt and respectively abut against both sides of the plate body 61, so as to fix the connecting member 64 in the guide groove 63. For another example, if the selected connecting member 64 is a sliding block, the fixing member 65 may be a holding structure, which can hold the connecting member 64 in the guiding groove 63, so that it cannot slide further.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8, the shape of the projected surface of the guide groove 63 may be an oblong shape, and in some other embodiments, the shape of the projected surface of the guide groove 63 may also be one of other shapes such as a rectangular shape, an elliptical shape, and the like, without limitation.

In some embodiments, the support mechanism 60 may comprise a plurality of guide slot sets, each guide slot set comprising at least two guide slots 63 located in different directions of the through hole 62, and a corresponding connection member 64 for each guide slot set for connecting to one plasma generating mechanism 20. Still referring to fig. 8, in this embodiment, the two guide slots 63 in the left half of the plate body 61 in fig. 8 may be a group, the two guide slots 63 in the right half may be another group, and the two connecting members 64 corresponding to the two guide slots 63 in the group are used for connecting to one plasma generating mechanism 30. In this embodiment, the plasma generation mechanism 30 is fixed by the plurality of connecting members 64, so that the stability is increased, and the plurality of connecting members 64 are located in different directions of the through hole 62, so that the relative position between the plasma generation mechanism 30 and the gasification mechanism 10 can be maintained in a relatively stable state.

In some embodiments, the plurality of guide groove sets may be symmetrically distributed around the through hole 62, so that the support mechanism 60 and the distribution mechanism 20 connected between the vaporizing mechanism 10 and the plasma generating mechanism 30 are not inclined, deformed, and the like due to uneven stress, and the stability of each mechanism in the whole ion source is further ensured.

In some embodiments, the vaporizing mechanism 10 may specifically include a crucible 11 and a heating element 12, the crucible 11 being used to contain the solid feedstock, and the heating element 12 being used to heat the crucible 11 to vaporize the solid feedstock to form saturated vapor.

In some embodiments, as described above, it may be desirable for the gasification mechanism 10 to provide a greater amount of saturated steam for use by multiple plasma generation mechanisms 30. To this end, referring to fig. 9, the gasification mechanism may further include a plurality of crucibles 11 to enable it to process more solid raw material to provide a more sufficient amount of saturated steam.

In some embodiments, a plurality of crucibles 11 may be arranged parallel to each other and extend towards the plasma generating mechanism 30. In this embodiment, each crucible 11 may be cylindrical and arranged parallel to each other, thereby avoiding an excessive volume of the ion source caused by arranging a plurality of crucibles 11.

In some embodiments, adjacent crucibles 11 may be arranged to fit each other, thereby further reducing the overall volume of the ion source, and the crucibles 11 may be arranged to fit each other, thereby enabling the heat provided by the heating element 12 to be utilized more efficiently and improving the efficiency of the vaporization.

In some embodiments, the crucible 11 and the heating element 12 may be co-located in a thermally insulated housing.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 10, the heating member 12 may be on the upper and lower surfaces in the extending direction of the plurality of crucibles 11 and insulated from the crucibles 11. As described hereinabove, the plurality of crucibles 11 are arranged in parallel with each other and extend toward the plasma generating mechanism 30, and the heating members 12 extend on the upper and lower surfaces in the extending direction of the crucibles 11, thereby improving the heating efficiency of the heating members 12 and making the heating of the plurality of crucibles 11 more uniform. Further, the heating member 12 is insulated from the crucible 11 to prevent short-circuiting.

In some embodiments, still referring to fig. 10, the heating element 12 may be in the form of a filament, which may be one of the heating wires commonly used in the art, such as a graphite heating wire. The heating member 12 extends in a serpentine shape on the upper and lower surfaces in the extending direction of the plurality of crucibles 11. Specifically, the heating member 12 may be serpentine-extended from the upper surfaces of the plurality of crucibles 11, introduced onto the lower surfaces of the plurality of crucibles 11 through the outermost one of the side surfaces of the crucible 11, and then continuously serpentine-extended. In this embodiment, the plurality of crucibles 11 can be heated simultaneously only by one heating member 12, so that the electrical structure of the ion source is simplified, and the power supply line can be more conveniently distributed and controlled. Meanwhile, the serpentine extension of the heating member 12 also ensures a sufficient contact area between the heating member 12 and the crucible 11, ensuring heating efficiency.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3, the electron emission mechanism 40 may specifically include a plurality of cathodes 41 corresponding to the plurality of plasma generation mechanisms, a plurality of filaments 42 corresponding to the plurality of cathodes, and a filament support structure 43.

Each cathode 41 is disposed at one side of the corresponding plasma generating mechanism 30, and in particular, it may be disposed at a position corresponding to an electron introduction structure (e.g., an electron window 302) at the discharge chamber 301. Filament 42 is used to heat cathode 41 to enable it to emit electrons into discharge chamber 301, and filament support structure 43 is used to provide support for filament 42. The cathode 41 may be fixedly connected to the plasma generating mechanism 30 and the filament support structure 43 may be fixedly connected to some external structure or mechanism in the ion source. For example, in some embodiments, the filament support structure 43 may be connected to the support mechanism 60 described above.

Further, as described above, the position of the plasma generating mechanism 30 may be changed, and the position of the cathode 41 may be changed, and the position of the filament 42 may be changed to effectively heat the cathode 41, for this reason, in some embodiments, the filament support structure 43 is configured to enable each filament 42 to move in at least two degrees of freedom to adjust the relative position between the filament 42 and the cathode 41 to align with the cathode 41 after the position of the cathode 41 is changed, so that the filament 42 or the filament support structure 43 does not need to be replaced when the position, specification, and the like of the plasma generating mechanism 30 are changed.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 11, the filament support structure 43 may specifically include a first support unit 431 and a second support unit 432, the first support unit 431 is provided with a sliding groove 4311, and the sliding groove 4311 enables the position of the first support unit 431 to be adjusted in the first direction when the first support unit 431 is mounted to the ion source. For example, as described above, the first support unit 431 may be slidably connected with the support mechanism 60 via the sliding groove 4311, so that it can slide relative to the support mechanism 60.

The second supporting unit 432 is connected to the first supporting unit 431 and is slidable in the second direction with respect to the first supporting unit 431, and a mounting portion 4321 is provided on the second supporting unit 432, and the filament 42 can be mounted in the mounting portion 4321. The sliding between the second supporting unit 432 and the first supporting unit 431 may be achieved by a sliding connection structure commonly used in the art, such as a sliding groove, a sliding rail, and the like, without limitation.

In this embodiment, the position adjustment of the filament 42 in the first degree of freedom is realized by the sliding between the first support unit 431 and the member to which it is connected, and the position adjustment of the filament 42 in the second degree of freedom is realized by the sliding between the second support unit 432 and the first support unit 431.

In some embodiments, a plurality of mounting portions are formed on the second support unit 432, so that one filament support structure 43 can simultaneously support a plurality of filaments 42, simplifying the overall structure, and the positions of the plurality of filaments 42 can be simultaneously adjusted, simplifying the operation.

In some other embodiments, multiple filament support structures 43 may be provided, with each filament support structure 43 supporting one filament 42, so that the position of each filament 42 can be adjusted individually, making the adjustment of the filament 42 more refined.

In some embodiments, the mounting portion 4321 is groove-shaped, and when the filament 42 is mounted to the mounting portion 4321, a gap is formed between the mounting portion 4321 and the filament 42, so that the filament 42 can slide in the third direction in the mounting portion 4321. In this embodiment, the freedom of movement of filament 42 is further increased to better meet different usage requirements.

In some embodiments, the first support unit 431 may include a first plate 4312 and a second plate 4313. The sliding groove 4311 may be disposed on the first plate 4312, and the second plate 4313 is connected to the first plate 4312 in an L-shape, and the second plate 4313 is slidably connected to the second supporting unit 432. In this embodiment, the sliding groove 4311 is disposed on the first plate 4312, and the sliding connection portion between the second supporting unit 432 and the first supporting unit 431 is disposed on the second plate 4313, so that the sliding motions in two degrees of freedom are prevented from interfering with each other.

In some embodiments, the second support unit 432 may include a third plate body 4322 and a fourth plate body 4323. The third plate 4322 is slidably connected to the second plate 4313, the fourth plate 4323 is connected to the third plate 4322 in an L-shape, and the mounting portion 4321 is disposed on the fourth plate 4323. Also, the structure in this embodiment can prevent the filament 42 from being interfered by the sliding between the second support unit 432 and the first support unit 431.

In some embodiments, the second supporting unit 432 may include a plurality of fourth plate bodies 4323, the plurality of fourth plate bodies 4323 are disposed on the same line along the third direction, and each fourth plate body 4323 is provided with a mounting portion 4321. In this embodiment, the mounting portions 4321 are respectively disposed on the fourth plate 4323, so that the filament 42 does not interfere with other filaments 42 when sliding in the mounting portions 4321.

In some embodiments, a plurality of first extending portions 4314 extending toward the second direction are formed on the second plate 4313, a plurality of second extending portions 4324 extending toward the second direction and corresponding to the plurality of first extending portions 4314 are formed on the third plate 4322, and each second extending portion 4324 is slidably connected to the corresponding first extending portion 4314. In this embodiment, the sliding connection between the second plate 4313 and the third plate 4322 is implemented by the plurality of first extending portions 4314 and second extending portions 4324, so that, when the position adjustment is actually performed, the position adjustment can be performed at the position of each extending portion, respectively, without moving the whole, thereby simplifying the operation of the position adjustment.

The embodiments of the present application are described above. However, these examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Although the embodiments are described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in the embodiments cannot be used in advantageous combination. The scope of the application is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present application, and such alternatives and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. An ion source, comprising:

a gasification mechanism for gasifying a solid feedstock to form saturated steam, the gasification mechanism comprising:

a plurality of crucibles for containing the solid feedstock;

a heating element for heating the crucible to vaporize the solid feedstock into a saturated vapor;

a distribution mechanism provided with a plurality of gas inlets and a plurality of gas outlets, each gas inlet being connected to one of the crucibles;

the plasma generating mechanisms are respectively connected with the gas outlets to receive saturated steam from the gasification mechanism, and discharge cavities are formed in the plasma generating mechanisms, and the saturated steam can be ionized to form plasma in the discharge cavities;

an electron emission mechanism capable of emitting electrons into the discharge chamber to ionize saturated vapor in the discharge chamber; and

the extraction mechanism can apply an electric field to the plasma formed in the discharge cavity so as to extract the plasma out of the discharge cavity and form ion beam current.

2. The ion source of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said crucibles are parallel to each other and extend towards said plasma generating mechanism.

3. The ion source of claim 2, wherein adjacent crucibles are arranged in close proximity to each other.

4. The ion source of claim 2, wherein the heating element is provided on upper and lower surfaces in an extending direction of the plurality of crucibles and insulated from the plurality of crucibles.

5. The ion source of claim 4, wherein said heating element is wire-shaped, and said heating element extends in a serpentine shape on upper and lower surfaces in a direction in which said plurality of crucibles extend.

6. The ion source of claim 1, wherein a plurality of said plasma generation mechanisms are configured to be adjustable in relative position to each other.

7. The ion source of claim 6, wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises:

an inlet pipe on which the gas inlet is provided;

a plurality of outlet pipes, each of which is provided with one of the gas outlets, wherein the plurality of outlet pipes are slidably connected with the inlet pipe, so that the relative positions of the plurality of outlet pipes to each other can be adjusted.

8. The ion source of claim 6, wherein each of said plasma generating mechanisms comprises:

the strip-shaped piece is communicated with the gas outlet, and a through groove is formed on the wall surface of the strip-shaped piece, which is opposite to the gas outlet; and

the lead-out plate is arranged at a notch position between two groove walls of the through groove, the notch of the through groove is covered by the lead-out plate to form the discharge cavity, and a lead-out slit used for leading the plasma out of the discharge cavity is arranged on the lead-out plate.

9. The ion source of claim 8, wherein the plasma generation mechanism further comprises:

the reflecting shell is arranged on the outer side of the strip-shaped part and used for reflecting overflowing ions and heat;

the heating wire is fixed in the reflection shell and used for heating the discharge cavity.

10. The ion source of claim 6, further comprising:

a support mechanism for supporting the plasma generation mechanism to maintain a relative position between the gasification mechanism, the distribution mechanism, and the plasma generation mechanism.

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