Generation of nitrogen beams with very high N+/N2+ ratio using hollow cathode discharge

Nitrogen beams with very high N+/N2+ ratio were generated using hollow-cathode discharge. The dependence of N+/N2+ ratio in the extracted beams on the discharge parameters was studied by mass spectroscopy. Very high N+ fractions (up to 90% and the maximum is about 98%) can be easily achieved without mass separation under typical operating conditions. The extracted beams with discharges using mixture precursors, such as N2/NH3, or N2/Ar were also investigated.