Characterization of volume type ion source for $p$, $H_2^+$ and $H_3^+$ beams

Abstract: Recently, there is an increasing need for $H_{2}^+$ and $H_{3}^+$ ion sources. One example are ion therapy facilities, where $C^{4+}$ and $H_{3}^+$ ion beams along the linac are of great interest. Another example is a $H_{2}^+$ test beam for linacs finally operated with intense deuteron beams. At Frankfurt, a simple proton ion source is needed to test a new kind of beam injection into a magnetic storage ring\cite{EPAC08}\cite{EPAC06}. This article describes a volume type ion source which can deliver upto $3.05~mA$ beam current at $10~keV$ in stable dc operation. It is a hot filament driven ion source which can provide high fractions of $p$, $H_{2}^+$ or $H_{3}^+$, depending on the operation settings.