Sputtering of Neutron-Generator Targets

Sealed gas-filled accelerator tubes in neutron generators are widely used for well-logging of oil and gas deposits, scientific research, and composition analysis of materials [1]. The operation of the tubes is based on obtaining neutrons in the reaction 3H(d, n)4H when tritium-saturated targets are bombarded with deuterium ions. A target consists of a thin layer of matter forming chemical compounds with hydrogen on a heat-conducting substrate. As a rule, mixed deuterium-tritium ion beams are used in practice. This increases the target service life considerably because there is no need to replace tritium in the target with deuterium from the ion beam. Sputtering of the target occurs under ion bombardment, which can decrease the neutron flux and limit the service life of the tubes.