US3311771A - Neutron generators - Google Patents

Neutron generators Download PDF

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Publication number
US3311771A
US3311771A US290086A US29008663A US3311771A US 3311771 A US3311771 A US 3311771A US 290086 A US290086 A US 290086A US 29008663 A US29008663 A US 29008663A US 3311771 A US3311771 A US 3311771A
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United States
Prior art keywords
target
ion source
shield
alpha
ions
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Expired - Lifetime
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US290086A
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English (en)
Inventor
Wood James David London Hedley
Lomer Peter Donald
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Individual
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Individual
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05H—PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
    • H05H6/00—Targets for producing nuclear reactions
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05H—PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS
    • H05H3/00—Production or acceleration of neutral particle beams, e.g. molecular or atomic beams
    • H05H3/06—Generating neutron beams

Definitions

  • This invention relates to neutron generators of the type in which an ion source generates ions which are accelerated across an acceleration gap by a potential difference applied across the gap, so as to strike a target material with high energy, the ion source and the acceleration gap being within a common sealed envelope at substantially the same pressure. It is necessary to have a short welldefined acceleration gap so as to keep the conditions well up the left hand side of the Paschen curve relating breakdown voltage to the product of the gas pressure and the acceleration distance.
  • the gas pressure is normally within the range 1 to 1000x mm. pressure and the voltage across the acceleration gap is normally 10-200 kv.
  • This invention provides a neutron generator of the type specified having an alpha particle counter inside the sealed envelope.
  • the invention consists in a neutron generator of the type specified in which an electrostatic shield is positioned between the target and the ion source to provide one boundary of the acceleration gap and maintain a fieldfree zone within which the target is located, sa-id shield having an aperture for passage of ions from the ion source to the target, and a detection means for detecting alpha particles emitted by the target is mounted within the said field-free zone in direct view of the target.
  • a sealed glass envelope 1 has an arm 2, containing a deuterium replenisher 3 as described in the first of the above references, and an arm 4 containing a Pirani pressure gauge 5.
  • a tritium loaded target 6 is mounted within a metal cylindrical shield 7 by means of brackets 8 and 9.
  • a mesh 10 provides an aperture for ions directed at the target.
  • Cylinder 7 is supported on electrodes 11.
  • a solid-state alpha counter 12 is mounted in a metal shield can 13 having an aluminium foil window 14, the window being opposite a port in cylinder 7 and being in full view of the target 6.
  • the aluminium foil window (0.9 mgm/cm?) allows entry of the alpha particles but stops light and ions elastically scattered from the target.
  • a cathode 15 has a heater 16 both supported by their stilt wire connections 17 and 18 respectively.
  • a tubular anode 19 is supported on its connection 20.
  • An extractor cathode 21 has a mesh 22 opposite the mesh 10, the distance between the two meshes constituting an acceler-ation gap.
  • a coil not shown applies an axial magnetic field to the space between cathodes 1'5 and 21.
  • the nu-mber of alpha particles counted is about fi of the total.
  • the target and alpha counter are A held .at earth potential and a positive voltage of 60 kv. is applied to the extractor cathode, the anode voltage being about v. higher.
  • the ion source current was 0.5 to 1 ma, providing an ion current of 5 to 10 ma. molecular ions.
  • Alpha counter bias was 15 v. and amplified pulses can be fed to a multi-channel analyser and a timed scaler.
  • the alpha counter used in one embodiment was made by diffusing phosphorus into 3000 ohm p-type silicon. Electrical connection to the phosphorus difiused. surface was made by using a silver paste as a glue for a fine wire.
  • a neutron generator comprising a sealed envelope containing an electrostatic shield positioned between a target and an ion source to form one boundary of an accelerating gap and to provide a field-free zone on the side of the shield remote from the ion source, said target being located within said zone, said shield having an aperture for passage of ions from the ion source to the target, and means mounted in direct view of the target for detecting alpha particles emitted by the target, said detecting means being mounted within said field-free zone on the side of the shield remote from the ion source to prevent secondary electrons emitted from the target from being accelerated towards the detecting means.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Particle Accelerators (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Radiation (AREA)
US290086A 1962-06-28 1963-06-24 Neutron generators Expired - Lifetime US3311771A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB24879/62A GB978521A (en) 1962-06-28 1962-06-28 Improvements to neutron generators

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3311771A true US3311771A (en) 1967-03-28

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ID=10218702

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US290086A Expired - Lifetime US3311771A (en) 1962-06-28 1963-06-24 Neutron generators

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3311771A (fr)
FR (1) FR1362827A (fr)
GB (1) GB978521A (fr)
NL (1) NL294529A (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3581093A (en) * 1968-04-23 1971-05-25 Kaman Sciences Corp Dc operated positive ion accelerator and neutron generator having an externally available ground potential target
US3784824A (en) * 1970-01-23 1974-01-08 Philips Corp Tritium target with compensated sputtering
WO2008100269A3 (fr) * 2006-06-09 2008-11-13 Univ California Source de neutrons compacte et modérateur
CN106098507A (zh) * 2016-06-30 2016-11-09 西安冠能中子探测技术有限公司 一种自成靶中子管充氚台及其充氚方法
CN107567174A (zh) * 2017-08-28 2018-01-09 西安工业大学 一种中子发生管
EP3832666A4 (fr) * 2018-08-02 2021-10-13 Riken Structure cible et dispositif cible

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2958780A (en) * 1956-10-29 1960-11-01 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Methods and apparatus for investigating earth formations
US3043955A (en) * 1960-01-25 1962-07-10 Hughes Aircraft Co Discriminating radiation detector
US3110806A (en) * 1959-05-29 1963-11-12 Hughes Aircraft Co Solid state radiation detector with wide depletion region
US3158743A (en) * 1961-02-23 1964-11-24 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Semiconductor junction device for monitoring radioactivity in a well logging sonde
US3205357A (en) * 1962-04-18 1965-09-07 William F Lindsay Solid state radiation detector

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2958780A (en) * 1956-10-29 1960-11-01 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Methods and apparatus for investigating earth formations
US3110806A (en) * 1959-05-29 1963-11-12 Hughes Aircraft Co Solid state radiation detector with wide depletion region
US3043955A (en) * 1960-01-25 1962-07-10 Hughes Aircraft Co Discriminating radiation detector
US3158743A (en) * 1961-02-23 1964-11-24 Schlumberger Well Surv Corp Semiconductor junction device for monitoring radioactivity in a well logging sonde
US3205357A (en) * 1962-04-18 1965-09-07 William F Lindsay Solid state radiation detector

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3581093A (en) * 1968-04-23 1971-05-25 Kaman Sciences Corp Dc operated positive ion accelerator and neutron generator having an externally available ground potential target
US3784824A (en) * 1970-01-23 1974-01-08 Philips Corp Tritium target with compensated sputtering
WO2008100269A3 (fr) * 2006-06-09 2008-11-13 Univ California Source de neutrons compacte et modérateur
US20100061500A1 (en) * 2006-06-09 2010-03-11 The Regents Of The University Of California Compact neutron source and moderator
CN106098507A (zh) * 2016-06-30 2016-11-09 西安冠能中子探测技术有限公司 一种自成靶中子管充氚台及其充氚方法
CN106098507B (zh) * 2016-06-30 2018-01-12 西安冠能中子探测技术有限公司 一种自成靶中子管充氚台及其充氚方法
CN107567174A (zh) * 2017-08-28 2018-01-09 西安工业大学 一种中子发生管
EP3832666A4 (fr) * 2018-08-02 2021-10-13 Riken Structure cible et dispositif cible
US11985755B2 (en) 2018-08-02 2024-05-14 Riken Target structure and target device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR1362827A (fr) 1964-06-05
NL294529A (fr) 1965-04-12
GB978521A (en) 1964-12-23

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