(English name: Ion source) is a device that ionizes neutral atoms or molecules and elicits ion beams from them. It is indispensable in various types of ion accelerators, mass spectrometers, electromagnetic isotope separators, ion implanters, ion beam etching devices, ion thrusters, and neutral beam injectors and pvd coating machines in controlled fusion devices part.

Gas discharge, the collision of electron beams on gas atoms (or molecules), the sputtering of working materials by charged particle beams, and the surface ionization process can all produce ions, which are drawn out into beams. Various types of ion sources have been developed according to different usage conditions and purposes. The more widely used arc discharge ion sources, PIG ion sources, dual plasma ion sources and double plasma sources are all based on the gas discharge process and are often referred to as arc sources in general. The high-frequency ion source generates ions by high-frequency discharge in the gas and has a wide range of uses. The emergence of new heavy ion sources has significantly improved the charge state of heavy ions, among which the more mature ones include the electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECR) and the electron beam ion source (EBIS). There are two types of negative ion sources with better performance: transfer type and sputtering type. Under certain conditions, various ion sources based on the gas discharge process can provide certain negative ion beams. Ion source is a subject with a wide range of applications. In many basic research fields such as atomic physics, plasma chemistry, nuclear physics, etc., ion source is a very important and indispensable equipment.
       In the ion source thruster experiment, people found that thruster materials flew out from the ion source, which began the application of ion sources in materials, especially material surface modification. Another important application of ion sources is in high energy physics. Specifically, the ion accelerator. Simply put, an ion source is used to generate ions of a certain material, and the ions are accelerated on a magnetic loop to bombard a target, producing new substances or revealing new physical laws.
       There are many types of functions that ion sources play in pvd coating machines. Mainly include: high frequency ion source, arc discharge ion source, kaufman ion source, radio frequency ion source, Hall ion source, cold cathode ion source, electron cyclotron ion source, anode layer ion source, inductive coupling ion source and many others. The type of ion source is not mentioned. Although there are many types of ion sources, the purpose is nothing more than online cleaning, improving the energy distribution of the plated surface and modulating the energy of the reactive gas. The ion source can greatly improve the bonding strength between the membrane and the substrate, and at the same time, the hardness, wear and corrosion resistance of the membrane itself will also be improved.