Transition radiation light sources

• US 10,607,829 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BNNT, LLC, Jefferson Science Associates, Llc
• Original Assignee: BNNT, LLC
• Inventors: Jordan, Kevin C., Dushatinski, Thomas G., Smith, Michael W., Stevens, Jonathan C., Whitney, R. Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, David E
• Application Number:
  US16/330,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20190228961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/00 Irradiation devices discharge tubes for irradiating H01J37/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 63/02 Details, e.g. electrode, gas filling, shape of vessel
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 63/06 Lamps with luminescent screen excited by the ray or stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/00 Lasers, i.e. devices using stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation in the infrared, visible or ultraviolet wave range semiconductors lasers H01S5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/169 Nanoparticles, e.g. doped nanoparticles acting as a gain material
• CPC Class Codes: H05G 2/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma X-ray lasers H01S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 13/10 Accelerators comprising one or more linear accelerating sections and bending magnets or the like to return the charged particles in a trajectory parallel to the first accelerating section, e.g. microtrons or rhodotrons
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 3/00 Production or acceleration of neutral particle beams, e.g. molecular or atomic beams
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 6/00 Targets for producing nuclear reactions supports for targets or objects to be irradiated G21K5/08 ; preparation of tritium C01B4/00; targets, e.g. pellets for fusion reactions by laser or charged particles beam injection H05H1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 9/00 Linear accelerators

Abstract

Transition radiation from nanotubes, nanosheets, and nanoparticles and in particular, boron nitride nanomaterials, can be utilized for the generation of light. Wavelengths of light of interest for microchip lithography, including 13.5 nm (91.8 eV) and 6.7 nm (185 eV), can be generated at useful intensities, by transition radiation light sources. Light useful for monitoring relativistic charged particle beam characteristics such as spatial distribution and intensity can be generated.

Claims

1. A transition radiation light source comprising:

an electron beam injector configured to emit an electron beam along a beam path;

an electron accelerator system configured to receive and accelerate the electron beam along the beam path;

at least one transition radiation production target along the beam path and having at least one transition radiation material having at least one of a nanotube material, a nanosheet material, and a nanoparticle material;

wherein the at least one transition radiation material comprises at least one of boron nitride nanotubes and boron nitride nanosheets.

2. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured for multiple electron beam accumulation.

3. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the electron beam is rastered along the beam path upstream to the at least one transition radiation production.

4. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the electron accelerator includes an energy recovery linac.

5. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, where the electron accelerator includes an electron beam dump.

6. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, where the electron accelerator includes an electron beam dump.

7. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the transition radiation material comprises boron nitride nanotubes and boron nitride nanosheets.

8. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the transition radiation material includes boron nitride nanosheets.

9. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the transition radiation material further comprises additional particles comprising at least one of boron nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and carbon boride.

10. The transition radiation light source of claim 9, wherein the additional particulates have an average size optimized for a desired light wavelength.

11. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the transition radiation material further comprises at least one of boron nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, and carbon boride.

12. The transition radiation light source of claim 11, wherein the additional particulates have an average size optimized for a desired light wavelength.

13. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the at least one transition radiation material is electrostatically sprayed into the at least one transition radiation production target.

14. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the at least one transition radiation production target comprises a chamber including a pulsation element configured to propel the at least one transition radiation material into a target volume within the chamber.

15. The transition radiation light source of claim 1, wherein the at least one transition radiation material is continuously circulated through the at least one transition radiation production target.

16. A method for generating transition radiation light comprising:

passing a relativistic charged particle beam through a transition radiation target having at least one transition radiation material having at least one of a nanotube material, a nanosheet material, and a nanoparticle material;

wherein the at least one transition radiation material comprises at least one of boron nitride nanotubes, boron nitride nanosheets, boron nitride nanotube powder, boron nitride nanotube mats, boron nitride nanosheet powders, boron nitride nanosheet mats, boron nitride nanotube threads, and boron nitride nanosheet threads.

17. A transition radiation light source target comprising a chamber configured to receive and emit a relativistic charged particle beam along a beam path, and at least one transition radiation material having at least one of a nanotube material, a nanosheet material, and a nanoparticle material, the transition radiation material within the chamber and positioned such that the beam path passes through the at least one transition radiation material;

wherein the at least one transition radiation material comprises at least one of boron nitride nanotubes, boron nitride nanosheets, boron nitride nanotube powder, boron nitride nanotube mats, boron nitride nanosheet powders, boron nitride nanosheet mats, boron nitride nanotube threads, and boron nitride nanosheet threads.

18. The transition radiation light source of claim 17, wherein the at least one transition radiation production target comprises a chamber including a pulsation element configured to propel the at least one transition radiation material into a target volume within the chamber.