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

小行星9712258 这个小型企业创新研究第二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缺乏合适的强慢正电子束源。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。 正电子源基于经由轻离子反应12 C（d，n）13 N产生短寿命的（+）-发射体13 N。第一阶段的研究表明，一个低能量的氘核加速器与一个专门设计的碳靶和正电子减速器将能够提供缓慢的正电子通量等于或大于107 e+/sec。该源将在第二阶段建造，将利用一个紧凑的高电流加速器。除了提供相对强的射束之外，基于加速器的源将易于操作，并且在不使用时将含有很少的残余放射性。 该计划开发的13 N基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。 ***

9712258 Shefer This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II 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 lack of suitable sources of intense 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 positron source is based on the production of the short-lived (+-emitter 13N via the light ion reaction 12C(d,n)13N. The Phase I study showed that a low energy deuteron accelerator with a specially-designed carbon target and positron moderator will be able to provide slow positron fluxes equal to or greater than 107 e+/sec. The source, to be constructed in Phase II, will utilize a compact, high current accelerator. In addition to providing a relatively intense beam, the accelerator-based source will be easy to operate, and will contain little residual radioactivity when not in use. The initial market for the 13N-based intense slow positron source developed in this program 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. ***