Development of a high efficiency cavity ion source and its characterization using a quadrupole mass analyser

The present work deals with the design and development of an efficient cavity ion source (CIS). The design optimization of CIS was carried out on the basis of experimental studies using an indigenous quadrupole mass analyser (QMA). Subsequently, the optimally designed CIS was characterized for the quantitative and qualitative detection of various rare earth and actinide elements. Sensitivity measurement was carried out using total evaporation technique. Same set of studies were also conducted on a conventional thermal ion source (TIS) to compare the performance of the CIS with conventional TIS. The CIS showed an improvement in respective sensitivity by a factor of about 7 and 4 times for Uranium and Strontium as compared to conventional TIS. The improved sensitivity of CIS is attributed to the multiple interactions of the analyte species with the inner surface of the high temperature cavity tube thereby increasing its ionization probability.