Transport dynamics in a high-brightness magneto-optical-trap Li ion source

Published

September 15, 2020

Author(s)

Jamie Gardner, William R. McGehee, Mark D. Stiles, Jabez J. McClelland

Abstract

Laser-cooled gases offer an alternative to tip-based methods for generating high brightness ions for focused ion beam applications. These sources produce ions by photoionization of ultracold neutral atoms, where the narrow velocity distribution associated with microkelvin- level temperatures results in a very low emittance, high-brightness ion beam. In a magneto- optical-trap-based ion source, the brightness is ultimately limited by the transport of cold neutral atoms, which restricts the current that can be extracted from the ion-generating volume. We explore the dynamics of this transport in a 7Li magneto-optical trap ion source (MOTIS) by performing time-dependent measurements of the depletion and refilling of the ionization volume in a pulsed source. An analytic microscopic model for the transport is developed, and this model shows excellent agreement with the measured results.

Citation

Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B

Volume

38

Issue

5

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0000394

Local Download

Keywords

MOTIS, cold atom ion source, MOT dynamics, magneto-optical trap, focused ion beam

Citation

Gardner, J. , McGehee, W. , Stiles, M. and McClelland, J. (2020), Transport dynamics in a high-brightness magneto-optical-trap Li ion source, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, [online], https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0000394 (Accessed October 8, 2025)