PROCESS OF ACCELERATED DETERMINATION OF LIFETIME OF ION- OPTICAL SYSTEM Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: equipment creating intensive ion fluxes. SUBSTANCE: technical outcome of invention consists in increased accuracy of determination of lifetime of ion-optical system and in reduction of time base for performance of tests thanks to creation of conditions for sputtering of material of accelerating electrode of ion-optical system during tests and to lifting of restrictions to relative increase of density of sputtering back current of ions under forced operational conditions. Life tests are conducted in model specimen of ion-optical system reduced by a factor of K_L, where L and /L_m are geometric dimensions of ion-optical system of tested and model specimens and increase in density of back current is realized by way of forced generation of plasma in space bordering on surface of accelerating electrode on side of exit from ion-optical system. In this case relation of similarity criterion L_m= 1 should be maintained, where K2L