Adelphi Technology, Inc. manufactures a line of long-lifetime, high-output neutron generators. These portable sources do not suffer from the same limited lifetimes as common Penning diodes, which produce only a certain number of neutrons and then must be discarded. Additionally, novel anode designs can be accommodated to further boost the production of neutrons, typically 109 to 1014 neutrons per second. Please see the sidebar for why this is important.

The core technology of this new type of neutron generator was developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and licensed to Adelphi in 2005. The LBNL techniques use pure ions from a rechargable RF plasma. The gases supplied to the plasma chamber in Adelphi’s generators are premixed of the requisite isotopes. No preloading of the titanium anode is needed. Adelphi Technology tubes are not exhausted with the consumption of preloaded atoms.

Adelphi’s generators produce neutrons in the same way as other laboratory neutron sources, fusion of two ions of hydrogen into an isotope of helium and at least one energetic neutron. Thus, sources are typed as deuterium-tritium (D-T), deuterium-deuterium (D-D), or tritium-tritium (T-T). Each type of source is associated with the energy of the neutrons produced, 14 MeV for D-T, 2 MeV for D-D, and a spectrum of energies from 2 MeV to 8 MeV for T-T. Moderators can be inserted into the output neutron beam to slow the neutrons to other energies as required for particular tasks. Moderators are available for epithermal, thermal, or cold neutron energies.

Adelphi offers both standard product neutron sources and special-made custom designs. To ensure the best possible solution for you, our engineers work with each client individually and make appropriate suggestions to the neutron source setup. Please fill out our “Request a Quote” form, or contact us via email at sales@adelphitech.com, so we can better understand your needs.

Also, be sure to check out information provided on this website describing neutron facts, neutron application overview, a comparison of neutron sources to x-ray sources, and a note on medical neutron therapy.