Laser Ablation Plasma Injection into the Frankfurt 14 GHz ECRIS

A Q-switched YAG:Nd3+ laser was used to evaporate a metal (Cd) target mounted close to a biased disk in the vacuum chamber of the 14 GHz Frankfurt ECRIS. The formation of the laser ablation plasma and the pulsed injection of neutral particles into ECR plasma resulting from the evaporation were studied in order to optimise the production of metal-ion beams and to perform diagnostics of the ECR plasma. The pulsed highly charged Cadmium ion beams were detected under the injection of neutral atoms of Cadmium into an Argon ECR discharge. The ionisation and confinements times for these ions were determined by using time-resolved spectroscopy of the charge state spectra. At the moment of the Cadmium injection, a pulsed increase of the Argon beam currents was detected, which is attributed to changes of the plasma potential. The amplitudes of these pulses are comparable with afterglow currents. Further investigations may provide a chance to use this effect for the injection of ion beams into the pulsed accelerators.