Electromagnetic simulations of plasma chambers in ECR ion sources: Unconventional designs and microwave injection

The design of resonant cavities and the related microwaves injection lines play a key role in the creation of intense electromagnetic fields, to generate and sustain the magnetized plasma inside Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Sources (ECRIS). This paper presents an innovative geometry, as an alternative to the conventional cylindrically shaped plasma chamber, whose aim is the improvement of the microwave-to-plasma coupling inside ECRIS. The geometry has been numerically validated by joining COMSOL Multiphysics R , for the calculation of the electromagnetic fields, and MatLabR _ to implement the plasma through its 3D dielectric tensor. The results are very promising and could be applied to any ECRIS or, in general, magnetic traps.