UniBEaM25 is a brand new particle beam profiling system using optical sensor fibers rather than traditional metal. It is used to measure the beam current intensity profile of ions, electrons and X-rays. For beamline operators, beam profilers are crucial for verifying beam width and position, as well as beam intensity and shape.

Developed at the University of Bern, commercialized by D-Pace and manufactured by Buckley Systems, UniBEaM has many unique advantages including a large dynamic range, no electromagnetic susceptibility and an insertion length of only 70 mm. UniBEaM is a turnkey system consisting of a probe, controller, cables and spare fibers which can be changed in under two minutes once the beamline is vented.

The UniBEaM probe has two 200 µm diameter cerium doped sensing fibers. The horizontal and vertical fibers move through the beam in steps as small as 25 µm. The fibers scintillate in the visible spectrum and this light is detected by a high-sensitivity photo-sensor located in the UniBEaM controller. The signal is then amplified, digitized, and displayed on a monitor. UniBEaM25 was designed for a nominal 25 mm diameter beam. UniBEaM75 and UHV compatible versions of UniBEaM are available.

D-Pace launched an early adopter program (EAP), with first participants in the program including the University of Bern, University of Michigan and Australia National University.

UniBEaM is capable of measuring beam currents over the ranges of pico-Amp (pA), nano-Amp (nA), micro-Amp (µA) to milli-Amp (mA), and kinetic energy ranges of kiloelectron Volt (keV), Mega-electron Volt (MeV) to Giga-electron Volt (GeV), and with the charged particle types ranging from light ions to heavy ions, but also including electrons. In addition, the device has proven useful in measuring X-rays, though the results are still preliminary. UBCO, TRIUMF and D-Pace have recently won a Canadian NSERC ENGAGE award to prove out the UniBEaM25’s x-ray capabilities.

The UniBEaM25 has already undergone extensive testing at the Ion Source Test Facility (ISTF) at Buckley Systems, University of Bern and University of Michigan. Test results are being compiled and are available to interested parties.

Morgan Dehnel, Buckley Systems’ Chief Science and Innovation Officer says, “We are excited about the launch of UniBEaM and our early adopter program. We believe UniBEaM will fill a long-standing void in compact, lowcost beam diagnostics.”

This piece was reprinted by D-Pace, Inc. from the Buckley Systems Spring 2017 technical bulletin with permission from Buckley Systems Ltd. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.