Sandia National Laboratories distinguished technical staff member Juan Elizondo-Decanini developed a new configuration for neutron generators by turning from conventional cylindrical tubes to the flat geometry of computer chips. The Neutristor is an ultra-compact, disposable, neutron generator 1000 times smaller than the closest competitor.
The most practical application, and the most likely to be near-term, would be a tiny medical neutron source implanted close to a tumor that would allow cancer patients to receive a low neutron dose over a long period at home instead of having to be treated at a hospital. Elizondo-Decanini says the technology is ready to be licensed for some commercial applications, but other more complex commercial applications could take five to ten years.
Transcript
00:00:00 [Music] the result of a radical new approach this Neutron generator based on solid state technology is 1,000 times smaller than anything on the market and costs about 50 times less Neutron generators typically are being made in a cylindrical fashion and um our challenge was to come out with um something different something cheaper something
00:00:27 that will fit in places that typically cylinder will not fit and um at some point the challenge that we brought up was can we build a neutron generator on the shape of a computer chip
