Nanobeam production with the multicusp ion source

A 1.8-cm-diam multicusp ion source to be used for focused ion beam applications has been tested for Xe, He, Ne, Ar, and Kr ions. The extractable ion and electron currents were measured. The extractable ion current is similar for all these ion species except for Ne+, but the extractable electron current behaves quite differently. The multicusp ion source will be used with a combined extractor–collimator electrode system that can provide a few hundred nA of Xe+ or Kr+ ions. Ion optics computation indicates that these beams can be further focused with an electrostatic column to a beam spot size of ∼100 nm.