Patent ID: 6879109

Claim:
A plasma generator for space charge neutralization of an ion beam, comprising: an ion implantation system operable to generate an ion beam and direct the ion beam along a beamline path; an electric field generation system operable to generate an electric field in a portion of the beamline path, the electric field having a portion oriented in a first direction; a magnetic field generation system operable to generate a magnetic field in the portion of the beamline path, the magnetic field having a portion oriented in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; and a gas source operable to introduce a gas in a region occupied by the electric field and the magnetic field, wherein electrons in the region move in the region due to the electric field and the magnetic field, and wherein at least some of the electrons collide with the gas in the region to ionize a portion of the gas, thereby generating a plasma in the region associated with the portion of the beamline path.