Recently, in large-scale hydrogen negative ion sources, the experimental results have shown that ion-ion plasma is formed in the vicinity of the extraction hole under the surface negative ion production case. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the mechanism of the ion-ion plasma formation by our three dimensional particle-in-cell simulation. In the present model, the electron loss along the magnetic filter field is taken into account by the “τ///τ⊥ model.” The simulation results show that the ion-ion plasma formation is due to the electron loss along the magnetic filter field. Moreover, the potential profile for the ion-ion plasma case has been looked into carefully in order to discuss the ion-ion plasma formation. Our present results show that the potential drop of the virtual cathode in front of the plasma grid is large when the ion-ion plasma is formed. This tendency has been explained by a relationship between the virtual cathode depth and the net particle flux density at the virtual cathode.

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The present status of kinetic modeling of particle dynamics in hydrogen negative ion (H − ) source plasmas and their comparisons with experiments are reviewed and discussed with some new results. The main focus is placed on the following topics, which are important for the research and development of H − sources for intense and high-quality H − ion beams: (i) effects of non-equilibrium features of electron energy distribution function on volume and surface H − production, (ii) the origin of the spatial non-uniformity in giant multi-cusp arc-discharge H − sources, (iii) capacitive to inductive (E to H) mode transition in radio frequency-inductively coupled plasma H − sources and (iv) extraction physics of H − ions and beam optics, especially the present understanding of the meniscus formation in strongly electronegative plasmas (so-called ion-ion plasmas) and its effect on beam optics. For these topics, mainly Japanese modeling activities, and their domestic and international collaborations with experimental studies, are introduced with some examples showing how models have been improved and to what extent the modeling studies can presently contribute to improving the source performance. Close collaboration between experimental and modeling activities is indispensable for the validation/improvement of the modeling and its contribution to the source design/development. chamber wall (anode) and filaments (cathode). In the latter sources, the RF-electromagnetic field is used to generate and heat plasmas.In this review, we mainly focus on the modeling studies, especially the modeling study of H − source plasmas using kinetic approaches, such as the test particle Monte-Carlo model [14] and particle in cell (PIC) model [14,15], which has been reviewed in [16]. Here, we extend it with some new results. Close collaboration between the experimental and modeling study is very important as it can improve our basic understanding of source plasmas. Various examples of the model validation will be shown through comparisons with experiments and also how modeling studies contribute to the improvement of source performances.As for the multi-cusp arc-discharge source, we will first show a systematic study to help us understand the role of the EEDF on the H − VP in section 2.2. The study has been carried out for a compact multi-cusp arcdischarge source (SHI H − source: Sumitomo Heavy Industry H − source [17,18]) for medical application such as boron neutron capture therapy and the radioisotope production for molecular imaging technology.The SHI H − source is a typical tandem type H − source [19]. In such a tandem type volume sources, the plasma source volume is divided into two regions by the transverse magnetic field (the so-called magnetic filter filed: MF-field) to control the EEDFs and to promote the two step H − VP reactions explained above. Namely, the source volume consists of two regions: (1) the 'driver region' where the electron energy is high and the EV process is promoted, and (2) the 'extraction region' where the electr...

To understand the plasma characteristics in the extraction region of negative H(-) sources is very important for the optimization of H(-) extraction from the sources. The profile of plasma density and electrostatic potential in the extraction region with and without extraction grid voltage are analyzed with a 2D particle in cell modeling of the NIFS-RD H(-) sources. The simulation results make clear the physical process forming a double ion plasma layer (which consists only of positive H(+) and negative H(-) ions) recently observed in the Cs-seeded experiments of the NIFS-R&D source in the vicinity of the extraction hole and the plasma grid. The results also give a useful insight into the formation mechanism of the plasma meniscus and the H(-) extraction process for such double ion plasma.

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