On a new type of negative deuterium ion source using a silicon semiconductor

A new type of negative deuterium ion source for the neutral particle injection in the fusion research is proposed. The element of the ion source is made of a bilayer of vanadium or palladium metal and a silicon semiconductor. The D− ions are formed with the cascade processes which involve the dissociation of D2’s when they are dissolved into the element, the electronic resonance transition from the Si surface to D(1s) diffusing through the element, and the detachment of the resultant D− ion from the surface. The estimations show that in an ideal case, the obtainable current density of D− ions is about 27 mA/cm2 and that the neutral component leaving the surface is about 18.5% of the D− ion current.