SBIR PHASE I: A Compact, Intense Positron Beam Source for Materials Analysis

该SBIR阶段项目将开发第一个交钥匙，基于自屏蔽加速器的强正电子束源，用于研究和工业实验室。正电子束是金属、半导体和聚合物的非破坏性评估以及材料结构的基础研究的强大诊断探针。进一步发展和使用正电子诊断的一个主要障碍是目前缺乏合适的强（107 e+/sec）慢正电子束源。目前可用的放射性同位素或电子LINAC源对于在实验室或工业环境中使用而言太大且太昂贵。 提出的源是基于一种新的方法来产生强慢正电子束：通过轻离子反应12 C（d，n）13 N的短寿命（+-发射极13 N的生产。一个紧凑的，低能量的氘加速器与一个特殊设计的目标和钨减速器将提供缓慢的正电子通量大于107 e+/秒。场辅助减速器，它有可能提供108 e+/秒也将进行调查。拟议的第一阶段研究将确定该源可行的最大正电子束强度。 基于3 N的强慢正电子源的最初市场将是美国和国外已经使用正电子束的大学和工业实验室。拟议来源的可用性将促进更广泛地使用基于正电子的半导体和金属诊断技术。如果这些技术进入常规使用，基于此来源的诊断仪器的客户群可能包括大多数半导体制造设施。

This SBIR Phase project will develop the first turn-key, self-shielded accelerator-based intense positron beam source for use in research and industrial laboratories. Positron beams are powerful diagnostic probes for the nondestructive evaluation of metals, semiconductors, and polymers as well as for fundamental investigations of materials structure. A major impediment to the further development and use of positron-based diagnostics is the present lack of suitable sources of intense ( 107 e+/sec) slow positron beams. Presently-available radioisotope or electron LINAC sources are much too large and expensive for use in a laboratory or industrial environment. The proposed source is based on a new approach to the generation of intense slow positron beams: the production of the short-lived (+-emitter 13N via the light ion reaction 12C(d,n)13N. A compact, low energy deuteron accelerator with a specially-designed target and tungsten moderator will provide slow positron fluxes of greater than 107 e+/sec. A field assisted moderator which has the potential for providing 108 e+/sec will also be investigated. The proposed Phase I study will determine the maximum positron beam intensity which is feasible with this source. The initial market for the 3N-based intense slow positron source will be university and industrial laboratories in the U.S. and abroad which are already using positron beams. The availability of the proposed source will facilitate the more widespread use of positron-based diagnostic techniques for semiconductors and metals. If these techniques come into routine use, the customer base for a diagnostic instrument based on this source may include the majority of semiconductor manufacturing facilities.