High voltage piezoelectric system for generating neutrons

Compact electrical neutron generators are a desirable alternative to radioisotope neutron sources. A piezoelectric transformer system is presented which has been used to achieve neutron production. The two primary components of the system include a piezoelectric transformer plasma source (PTPS), which produced a deuterium plasma for ion extraction, and a high voltage piezoelectric transformer (HVPT), which generated an accelerating potential in excess of 100 kV. The system was operated at a pressure of 700 μTorr with an external gas supply providing controlled deuterium flow to the differentially pumped PTPS. Synchronized AC signals were used to independently drive each of the piezoelectric devices in burst mode with a 1 Hz rep-rate and 1.3% duty factor. A timing offset between the two signals was used to decrease electrical loading effects and increase neutron flux. The mechanism for neutron production was the D(d, n) ³He nuclear reaction, occurring when deuterium ions from the PTPS accelerated toward and impacted a deuterium-impregnated Pd or Ti target adhered to the output terminal of the HVPT.