Measurement of ion energy distributions using a combined energy and mass analyzer

A method is described for measuring ion energy distributions using a commercially available, combined energy analyzer/mass spectrometer. The distributions were measured at an electrode located adjacent to pulsed, electron beam-generated plasmas produced in argon. The method uses energy-dependent tuning and was tested for various plasma conditions. The results indicate an improved collection efficiency of low-energy ions when compared to conventional approaches in measuring ion energy distributions.