An Ion Thruster is a device that generates ions and then emits them in one direction to thrust the component in another direction. Keen minds will realize that this technology is very similar to an ion source, however the key difference is that thrusters specifically target heavier atoms so that they can take greater advantage of momentum.
Xenon strikes a happy medium between mass and cost, and is the type of thruster we see most often on satellites. The trick with these thrusters is to maximize the voltage that energises that produced plasma so that the emission velocity of the ions will be as high as possible. Proprietary technologies must figure out the best way to maximize that voltage without frying the component itself.
Intlvac's TVAC system is built to handle rapid iterative testing of these kinds of components. The voltage that these components produce must be accompanied with sufficient heat dissipation, which our proprietary insulation designs handle well, in addition to the pumping required to outflow xenon fast enough to maintain space-like conditions.