Experimental study of accelerated argon ion-cluster beams

The formation of accelerated vapor-phase argon beams has been analyzed experimentally with the aim of developing a laboratory bench for ion-cluster modification of materials. Accelerated argon-cluster beams with energies up to 22 keV and intensities up to 6 × 10¹³ ions/(cm² s) have been produced at an average size of cluster ions up to 10¹³ atoms/cluster. The size distributions of ions in an accelerated ion-cluster beam have been investigated by the retarding-potential method at different stagnation pressures. It is shown that the mass composition of an ion-cluster beam depends on the conditions of ion-beam formation.