Hydrogen and Deuterium Ion Extraction From a Piezoelectric Transformer Plasma Source

A piezoelectric transformer plasma source (PTPS) has been developed as a plasma ion source for D(d,n)
³
He neutron production. This neutron production system is compact, radioisotope free, and can be easily turned ON and OFF. The PTPS consists of a lithium niobate piezoelectric disk in a differentially pumped chamber with controlled gas flow from an external source. The PTPS was previously characterized using a range of gas flows, extraction voltages, and aperture geometries to demonstrate its capabilities as an ion source. Ion current measurements are presented for deuterium and hydrogen gas at PTPS pressures from 1.5 to 8.5 torr, RF driving voltages from 200 to 400 V, and extraction voltages up to 2000 V. Ion current yields on the order of 10 μA were measured.