New progress on a compact deuterium-deuterium neutron generator based on RF ion source

This article presents a systematic optimization of a compact deuterium-deuterium neutron generator based on a RF ion source, significantly increasing the neutron yield by 6 times to 6.46 × 10⁹ n/s. The designed device employs a concave high-voltage vacuum feedthrough, increasing the overall breakdown strength of the device to 150 kV. Additionally, to improve the ion current extracted, an innovative ‘diffusion-type’ plasma chamber has been adopted, achieving an increase of over 20 % in beam extraction. Furthermore, it has been verified that under high thermal load conditions, the performance of the scandium target is superior to that of the titanium target, primarily due to the higher desorption temperature of deuterium from scandium compared to titanium. Finally, a stable neutron yield of over 5 × 10⁹ n/s was achieved, with an effective operating time exceeding 98 %. This result provides a solid technical foundation for further improving neutron imaging quality.