A beam line test stand for automation and ion source developments

A highly automated test stand for the development of advanced ion sources is described. The main goal is to develop fully automated ion sources which operate with long lifetime, high beam current stability, and wide beam current dynamic range. The source chamber is designed to accommodate Bernas, Freeman and other type ion sources. A microprocessor-based system is used for studies of improved software codes for control of ion sources and auto-tuning. The quality of the extracted beam and the extraction optics is studied using a current density beam profiler, an emittance monitor, and ion beam simulation. In this paper, we describe the layout and hardware of the test stand, and discuss the requirements and criteria used in the design and development of the ion source and beam line. Preliminary data of Langmuir probe measurements obtained from the Bernas and Freeman source are presented.