Proposal for a compact neutron generator based on a negative deuterium ion beam

Abstract

Interest in high intensity generators of neutrons for basic and applied science has been growing, and thus the demand for an economical neutron generator has been growing. A major driver for the development of high intensity neutron generators are studies of neutron disturbance in integrated circuits, for which a compact generator that can be easily accommodated in an ordinary size lab would be highly desirable. We have investigated possible designs for neutron generators based on the D-D fusion reaction, which produce direction dependent mono-energetic neutrons with carry-off energy larger than 2.45 MeV. Specifically, we find a negative deuterium ion beam most attractive for this application, and plan to construct such a system with a negative deuterium ion beam of 200 keV energy and 100 mA current as a prototype of this concept.