• M.T. Crofford, T.W. Hardek, S.W. Lee, M.F. Piller
  ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• J.A. Ball, T.L. Davidson
  ORNL RAD, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) has been operating since the first neutrons were produced on April 29, 2006. During the last several years the beam energy has been methodically ramped-up and outlying issues solved to improve system reliability. During the beam studies a temperature dependence has been discovered with the Low-Level RF systems. The effect is small but readily observable as increased beam losses. The temperature dependence has been studied both in the accelerator and in the laboratory and the sensitive components identified. A prototype solution that replaces the temperature dependent components of the Low-Level RF System has been designed and is in initial testing. Preliminary results of the laboratory tests have been encouraging. Accelerator tests are planned after installation during the December 2010 maintenance cycle.

• Y.W. Kang, R.E. Fuja, T.W. Hardek, S.W. Lee, M.P. McCarthy, M.F. Piller, K.R. Shin, M.P. Stockli, A.V. Vassioutchenko, R.F. Welton
  ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is in the process of ramping up the H^- ion beam power to 1.4 MW, its full design power for the neutron production. For robust operation of the neutron facility, work is underway for various improvements on the RF power systems of the ion source. For short and long-term higher beam power operations, an RF-driven H^- ion source employing external antenna with a water-cooled, ceramic aluminum nitride (AlN) plasma chamber has been developed*. The new ion source has been tested to deliver up to 42 mA in the SNS Front End (FE) and unanalyzed beam currents up to ~100mA (60Hz, 1ms) in the ion source test stand. In addition to the external antenna design for improved antenna lifetime, other RF developments for improvement of reliability are running 2 MHz power amplifier system is with isolation transformer, employing full solid-state 2 MHz power amplifier, more precise 2 MHz capacitive impedance matching, and upgrading 13 MHz RF plasma gun system. This paper discusses the engineering solutions with analysis and development of the above RF systems for the new ion source system.

R.F. Welton, N.J. Desai, J. Carmichael, B. Han, Y.W. Kang, S.N. Murray, T. Pennisi, M. Santana, and M.P. Stockli, "The Continued Development of the SNS External Antenna H^- Ion Source," ICIS2009