Electric field-guided particle accelerator, method, and applications
AssigneeCornell University
InventorsAmit Lal, Shi Yue
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A charged particle accelerator having a curvilinear beam trajectory maintained solely by a laterally directed, constant electric field; requiring no magnetic field. A method for controlling the trajectory of a charged particle in an accelerator by applying only a constant electric field for beam trajectory control. Curvilinear steering electrodes held at a constant potential create the beam path. A method for making a chip-scale charged particle accelerator involves integrated circuit-based processes and materials. A particle accelerator that can generate 110 KeV may a footprint less than about 1 cm2.
Claims30
A charged particle accelerator, comprising:
- an accelerator support structure having a principal plane orientation;
- a single pair of opposing, spaced, curvilinear steering electrodes disposed in the support structure having a gap there between, which define a particle pathway in the support structure, wherein the steering electrodes are characterized by an adjustable electric field;
- a particle entry pathway in the support structure connected to the particle pathway;
- and
- a pair of particle acceleration electrodes disposed in one of the entry pathway and the particle pathway.
A method for controlling the path of a charged particle in a particle accelerator, comprising:
- providing a charged particle pathway defined by a gap between a pair of opposing, spaced, curvilinear steering electrodes in an accelerator structure;
- inputting a traveling charged particle to an entry end of the pathway;
- applying a constant voltage across the pair of steering electrodes so as to exert a constant, laterally-directed electric field on the charged particle traveling in the pathway;
- and
- steering the traveling charged particle in a curvilinear trajectory having a maximum radius equal to or less than eight centimeters.
A method for making a chip-scale particle accelerator, comprising:
- providing an integrated circuit-compatible planar substrate;
- providing an insulating material layer on a principal surface of the substrate;
- providing an electrically conducting material layer on the layer of insulating material;
- providing an electrical contact to the electrically conducting material layer;
- and
- providing a curvilinear channel in the electrically conducting material layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.