We have commissioned our new Ion Source Test Facility (ISTF), which was designed by D-Pace Inc. and installed at Buckley Systems Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand.  D-Pace is using the ISTF to research and develop ion sources, beam diagnostic devices and beamline components.  The test stand is also available for third party use on a contract basis. 

D-Pace can now provide complete turnkey ion source systems based on this design, including the ion source, software and controls, power supplies, vacuum pumps and instrumentation, high voltage subsystems, and access control. Beamlines, slits, emittance scanners, Faraday cups, collimators, and mass spectrometers can also be incorporated.

The ISTF's main purpose will be to research and develop ion sources, beam diagnostic devices and beamline components. D-Pace’s TRIUMF licensed filament-powered 15 mA H^- Ion Source as well as D-Pace’s University of Jyväskylä-licensed 13.56 MHz RF powered H^- source are installed at the ISTF.  The diagnostic devices include a pneumatic and a fixed Faraday cup, an emittance scanner, a mini beamline, a 500:1 analyser/spectrometer, an optical fibre beam profile monitor licensed from the University of Bern, a residual gas analyser and optical spectrometer. 

D-Pace has used the ISTF with our TRIUMF-licensed filament-powered H^- volume-cusp ion source. The source was tested up to 16.1 mA DC of H^- beam with a normalized 4 rms emittance of 0.77 mm-mrad. Optimization of the source parameters and output beam characteristics is ongoing.  

D-Pace is also using the ISTF for testing ion sources for heavier ions, including C^-, C₂^-, C₂H^-, He⁺, He⁺⁺, N⁺, N₂⁺, and B⁺.  Recent testing using acetylene gas in the volume-cusp filament source and the mass spectrometer has shown that the beam is mostly composed of C₂^-, C₂H^- and C₂H₂^-, as can be seen in the spectrometer scan presented below.  We will also use the ISTF for testing our beamlines and beam diagnostic equipment.

Please contact D-Pace if you would like to work with us!