Development of Penning Multiply Charged Ion Sources for the Unilac

Two types of PIG sources suitable for generation of multiply charged metal ions are currently under investigation on the test bench: One is a Dubna type source equipped with a sputtering electrode similar to Tretyakov's design. The central part of the anode is run very hot to achieve effective re-evaporation of the sputtered material. Furthermore, source feed by use of ovens has been applied. The other source uses plasma-heated cathodes, and sputtering electrodes of cylindrical shape surrounding the plasma column almost entirely. For both source types, Ar is preferred as support gas; the content of metal ions in the total extracted current ranges from approx. 10 % up to 80 %, depending on source type and metal species. Among other ions, Ta10+, Au9+, Bi10+ and U11+ have been obtained.