Biased charge collector analysis for intense ion beam measurements

An analysis of a biased charge collector for measuring intense ion beam parameters is presented. The propagating ion beam is assumed to be current and space charge neutralized by a thermalized, background electron population. Space-charge effects inside the charge collector are included and it is shown that in addition to the ion current density, information on the electron temperature can also be obtained from the I-V characteristics of the collector. Finally, the design requirements for the construction of a biased charge collector are summarized.