Novel Surface-Mounted Neutron Generator

A deuterium-tritium base reaction pulsed neutron generator packaged in a flat computer chip shape of 1.54 cm (0.600 in) wide by 3.175 cm (1.25 in) long and 0.3 cm (0.120 in) thick has been successfully demonstrated to produce 10³ neutrons per pulse (14 MeV) in a 0.5- μs pulse. The neutron generator is based on a deuterium ion beam accelerated to impact a tritium-loaded target. The accelerating voltage is in the 15- to 20-kV range with a 3-mm (0.120 in) gap, and the ion beam is shaped by using a lens design to produce a flat ion beam that conforms to the flat rectangular target. The ion source is a simple surface-mounted deuterium-filled titanium film with a fused gap that operates at a current-voltage design to release the deuterium during a pulselength of about 1 μs. We present some of the preliminary results and the general description of the working prototypes, which we have labeled the “NEUTRISTOR.”