Investigation on Ion extraction processes in M-Type electrode configuration and the influence of top electrode

Abstract

In the realm of ion-extraction from photoplasma, the design of electrode configuration exerts significant influence over extraction efficiency by tailoring the vacuum gap and electric potential distribution. Over time, various electrode configurations have been explored, including parallel-plate, wire-type, M-type, and Π-type designs. Notably, the M-type configuration has shorter ion-extraction
times. In the present study, a comprehensive investigation of the ion extraction process with the M-Type setup is performed using a 2D2v-electrostatic Particlein-Cell simulation. The study focuses on the spatiotemporal evolution of photoplasma, the formation of the plasma sheath, and spatial distribution of electric potential.Subsequently, a series of computational experiments have been conducted by systematically altering the size of top electrode in the M-type configuration, effectively transforming it into wire-type and Π-type. The objective of these experiments is to explore the impact of the top electrode on ion-extraction. The obtained simulation results reports a significant finding: the formation of a virtual anode between the cathodes. This distinct phenomenon substantially contributes to an exceptional level of efficiency, exceeding 90%, among different simulated configurations. Furthermore, it also reports an approximate 95% collection efficiency with minimum collection time with an M-type configuration over the Π-type electrode configuration.