Compact Modular Ionizer for Portable Ion Beam Generation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Commercially available high current ion sources are large, heavy, power-intensive, and not power efficient due to their reliance on microwave plasma generation and large magnetic fields, making them unsuitable for portable applications.
Innovation Solution
The development of compact ion beam sources using modular ionizers formed from field emitter elements with a modular housing that is selectively transmissive to electrons and impermeable to gases, allowing for ion beam generation through field ionization or electron impact ionization, or a combination of both processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If microwave plasma generation with large magnets is used to achieve high current density and high ion current, then ion beam performance is improved, but device size, weight, and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The ion source is divided into modular components: a compact electron beam source module, a gas injection module, and a beam extraction module. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables the system to achieve high ion current without requiring large magnetic confinement systems, thereby reducing overall device weight while maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/magnetic confinement system (large magnets and complex plasma containment structures) with an electric field-based electron beam ionization system. This substitution eliminates the need for heavy magnetic shielding and large power supplies, dramatically reducing device weight while maintaining efficient ion generation capability
2Productivity
If microwave plasma generation with large magnets is used to achieve high current density and high ion current, then ion beam performance is improved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ion source is divided into modular components: a compact electron beam source module, a gas injection module, and a beam extraction module. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables the system to achieve high ion current without requiring large magnetic confinement systems, thereby reducing overall device weight while maintaining productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a planar, magnet-confinement-based design to a three-dimensional electron beam ionization architecture. The electron beam propagates along the axis of a compact cylindrical chamber, utilizing the third dimension (beam length) to achieve sufficient ionization volume without increasing the device's footprint area, thus maintaining high ion current in a compact form factor
3Productivity
If microwave plasma generation with large magnets is used to achieve high current density and high ion current, then ion beam performance is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/magnetic confinement system (large magnets and complex plasma containment structures) with an electric field-based electron beam ionization system. This substitution eliminates the need for heavy magnetic shielding and large power supplies, dramatically reducing device weight while maintaining efficient ion generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters from microwave frequency plasma generation (requiring kW-level power) to direct electron beam ionization at lower voltages (hundreds to thousands of volts). This parameter change in the ionization mechanism dramatically reduces power consumption while maintaining high ion current output, making the system suitable for portable applications
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compact ion beam sources achieve increased performance and lifetime by focusing electron or ion beams and protecting field emitter tips from back streaming ions, enabling portable and efficient ion beam generation with reduced size, weight, and power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one gate electrode is used to apply a potential difference proximate to the field emitter tip of the at least one field emitter elements, thereby extracting electrons from the at least one field emitter tip to form an electron beam
Implementation Method 2
The chemical species source is disposed proximate to the window of the electron beam unit, to provide at least one chemical species that is ionizable on exposure to the electron beam to produce the ion beam
Implementation Method 3
a modular housing formed with a window that is selectively transmissive to an electron beam, or the ion beam, or both, and that has low permeability to gasses including oxidizing gaseous species
Data Source
AI summary
Example compact ion beam sources are provided that can be used to generate ion beams using chemical species and field emitter elements or field emitter arrays. In some example, the compact ion beam source can be implemented as neutron sources based on ion beam bombardment of neutron-rich targets.