Sputter ion pump with penning-trap current sensor
AssigneeColdQuanta, Inc.
InventorsSteven Michael Hughes, Farhad Majdeteimouri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sputter-ion-pump system includes a sputter ion pump and an electronic drive. The electronic drive supplies a voltage across the ion pump to establish, in cooperation with a magnetic field, a Penning trap within the ion pump. A current sensor measures the Penning-trap current across the Penning trap. The Penning trap is used as an indication of pressure within the ion pump or a vacuum chamber including or in fluid communication with the ion pump. The pressure information can be used to determine flow rates, e.g., due to a load, outgassing, and/or leakage from an ambient.
Claims2
An ion-pump process comprising:
- applying a voltage differential and a magnetic field to an ion pump to establish a Penning trap, wherein the present voltage differential applied to the ion pump is a drive voltage;
- measuring a Penning-trap current across the Penning trap;
- and
- adjusting the voltage differential according to a drive function that is a function of the drive voltage and the Penning-trap current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.