Automating the setup and control of the pre-sample charge measurement system at the Lund Ion-beam Analysis Facility

In many IBA applications the aim is to obtain quantitative figures characterising the sample, usually requiring a reliable measurement of the beam current for normalisation. To avoid the drawbacks associated with on-sample and post-sample charge measurement systems a pre-sample measurement system can be used. In this work an upgrade to the pre-sample charge measurement system at the Lund Ion-beam Analysis Facility is presented, in which a custom built control module based around a Teensy 3.2 micro-controller has been added to the existing system. The new control module allows for remote handling and monitoring of the deflection system, operated via USB connection to a PC running a graphical user interface. Details of the control modules functionality, design and programming are given, as well as the functionality of the user interface. An example of how the new control module can be used for automated calibration of the deflection system is also presented.