Thin-film target for DT neutron production
| DWPI Title: Thin-film target for deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron production, has front-surface tritide layer that is arranged on permeation barrier layer forming combined thickness which is less than range of incident deuterium beam |
| Abstract: A novel thin-film target can the life of tritium targets for the production of 14 MeV neutrons by the 3H(2H,n)4He nuclear reaction while using only a small fraction of the amount of tritium compared to a standard thick-film target. With the thin-film target, the incident deuterium is implanted through the front tritide film into the underlying substrate material. A thin permeation barrier layer between the tritide film and substrate reduces the rate of tritium loss from the tritide film. As an example, good thin-film target performance was achieved using W and Fe for the barrier and substrate materials, respectively. |
| Use: Thin-film target for DT neutron production for neutron irradiation of test device. |
| Advantage: The thicknesses of the tritide and the permeation barrier layer are selected to simultaneously maximize reaction yield in the tritide layer, maximize D implantation into the substrate, and minimize D permeation from the substrate through the permeation barrier layer to the tritide layer. The target lifetime is increased further by focusing and rastering the D beam to obtain uniform average beam current density over the entire area of the tritide film. |
| Novelty: The thin-film target comprises a substrate that includes a high deuterium (D) permeability material. A permeation barrier layer includes a low D permeability material arranged on the substrate to inhibit D permeation from the substrate. A front-surface tritide layer is arranged on the permeation barrier layer and reacts with an incident D beam to produce DT neutrons. The combined thickness of the tritide layer and the permeation barrier layer is less than the range of the incident D beam. |
| Filed: 7/16/2020 |
| Application Number: US16930514A |
| Tech ID: SD 14918.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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