INTENSE, FINELY-FOCUSSED ION BEAMS WOULD FIND MANY APPLICATIONS IN RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION IF SUFFICIENTLY BRIGHT ION SOURCES COULD BE MADE.

INTENSE, FINELY-FOCUSSED ION BEAMS WOULD FIND MANY APPLICATIONS IN RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION IF SUFFICIENTLY BRIGHT ION SOURCES COULD BE MADE. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF A CONCEPT FOR AN EXTREMELY BRIGHT ION SOURCE WHEREIN AN INTENSE SUPERSONIC MOLECULAR BEAM IS IONIZED AND IONS ARE CAREFULLY EXTRACTED FROM A SYNTHETIC PLASMA. THE TOPICS TO BE INVESTIGATED ARE THE POSSIBLE COMPOSITIONS OF THE MOLECULAR BEAM FOR PRODUCING DESIRED IONS, THE RELATIVE MERITS OF IONIZATION BY PHOTON, ELECTRON, AND ION IMPACT, THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SYNTHETIC PLASMA, AND THE DESIGN OF AN IMPROVED EXTRACTION LENS. THE ION SOURCE COULD BE USED IN COMMERCIAL ION BEAM INSTRUMENTS BOTH FOR THE MICROANALYSIS AND THE MICROFABRICATION OF SURFACES. IN PARTICULAR, THE ION SOURCE WOULD CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO MAKING ION BEAM LITHOGRAPHY WITH FOCUSSED BEAMS A PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE.