Peculiarities of Compact Surface-Plasma Sources Operation (Practical Aspects)

Operation Experience of Compact Surface-Plasma Sources (CSPS) under operation in different laboratories around the World is considered. The CSPS have high plasma density, high emission current density. They are very small, simple and effective, have a high brightness in noiseless mode of operation, and high pulsed gas efficiency. The CSPS are very good for pulsed operation and continues operation during many months has been achieved. Negative ion formation, charge-exchange cooling of H below 1 eV, high brightness beam extraction, formation, transportation, space charge neutralization, brightness preservation instability dumping are discussed. Practical aspects of SPS design, simulation and operation, pulsing a gas and cesium admixture control, lifetime enhancement of selected SPS are described and compared. Features of CSPS are small volume, small gaps between electrodes, high plasma density and high emission current density. These features have complicated the long time operation of CSPS with high beam parameters, because a sputtering rate, flakes formation, deposition of insulators surface and probability of short circuit of electrodes should be high. But in many versions of CSPS very long operation time was reached. Features of CSPS important for long time operation are considered.