Influence of clusters on Bi LMIS properties

Bismuth ion beams consist of several ion clusters with comparable currents, which influences the energy spread and brightness of the source. We present a simulation of the beam near the Bi LMIS including the effect of the discrete Coulomb interactions and cluster structure of the beam. We also compare the results of the simulations with experimental data measured on the source used in a Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) machine.