Nanobeam production with the multicusp ion source

A 1.8-cm-diam multicusp ion source to be used for focused ion beam applicat ions has been tested for Xe, He, Ne, Ar, and Kr ions. The extractable ion a nd electron currents were measured. The extractable ion current is similar for all these ion species except for Ne+, but the extractable electron curr ent behaves quite differently. The multicusp ion source will be used with a combined extractor-collimator electrode system that can provide a few hund red nA of Xe+ or Kr+ ions. Ion optics computation indicates that these beam s can be further focused with an electrostatic column to a beam spot size o f similar to 100 nm. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(00 )58402-0].