Ion Beam
Our Ion Beam facility at Harwell (UK) differs from all other Applied
Sterilisation Technologies (AST)
processing technologies because it is not used for
sterilization. This is a technique that addresses a host of
requirements across many different sectors:
- Simulation of the naturally-occurring space radiation
environment, especially the component dominated by solar protons
and affecting the external surfaces of a satellite
- Semiconductor processing for carrier lifetime control
- The production of trace levels of radioactivity in engineering
components for thin layer activation and real-time wear
measurement
- Materials analysis
The 5MV Tandem accelerator is a
flexible system that can produce many different Ion species, but is
particularly well suited to light ions, such as protons, deuterons
and helium ions (alpha particles). An advantageous feature is
the ability to change energy rapidly, typically in a few seconds,
for dealing with shipments of mixed products.
For semiconductor processing, we
utilise our ISO class 7 cleanroom into which two beam lines run,
allowing wafers to be handled, irradiated and repacked in a
controlled environment.
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