The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 03, 1996
Filed:
Jul. 31, 1995
Thomas G Roberts, Huntsville, AL (US);
Brian R Strickland, Huntsville, AL (US);
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A negative ion source with an automatic control system wherein a low power igh frequency discharge is used to sustain a high power low voltage dc discharge in a chamber that magnetically confines the plasma produced. The low power high frequency discharge and the high power low voltage direct current discharge are two discharges along with the gas flow rate which are independently adjusted, automatically, so that the conditions for optimum production of vibationally excited hydrogen molecules consistent with the production of maximum H.sup.- output current is obtained and maintained. This chamber is separated by a magnetic filter field from a second chamber which maintains the low temperature plasma in the second chamber necessary for the optimum production of H.sup.- ions by the process of dissociative attachment, utilizing the vibrationally excited molecules produced by the first chamber.