Controlled deposition of metal and metal cluster ions by surface field patterning in soft-landing devices
AssigneeUniversity of North Texas
InventorsGuido Fridolin Verbeck, IV, Stephen Davila
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Abstract
A soft-landing (SL) instrument for depositing ions onto substrates using a laser ablation source is described herein. The instrument of the instant invention is designed with a custom drift tube and a split-ring ion optic for the isolation of selected ions and is capable of operating at atmospheric pressure. The drift tube allows for the separation and thermalization of ions formed after laser ablation through collisions with an inert bath gas that allow the ions to be landed at energies below 1 eV onto substrates. The split-ring ion optic is capable of directing ions toward the detector or a landing substrate for selected components.
Claims32
An apparatus comprising:
- an ionization region comprising a laser capable of releasing at least one of:
- metal ions, metal ion clusters, or metal nanoparticles, from a metal;
- an ion mobility region in communication with the metal comprising a plurality of electrically conductive concentric rings;
- a soft landing area comprising a surface;
- and
- a detector capable of detecting molecules, clusters or nanoparticles that land on the surface of the soft landing area.
A method for detecting particles comprising:
- ionizing at least one of:
- metal ions, metal ion clusters, or metal nanoparticles, from a metal with a laser capable of releasing the metal ions, metal ion clusters, or metal nanoparticles, from the metal;
- introducing the metal ions, metal ion clusters, or metal nanoparticles into an ion mobility region in communication with the metal comprising a plurality of electrically conductive concentric rings;
- separating the metal ions, metal ion clusters, or metal nanoparticles by charge and size onto a movable soft landing area comprising a surface;
- and
- detecting the molecules with a detector capable of detecting, clusters or nanoparticles that land on the surface of the soft landing area.
A soft-landing method for depositing one or more metal ions on a surface comprising the steps of:
- providing a metal target comprising at least one component capable of generating one or more metal ions by laser ablation in a SL instrument system;
- ionizing the metal target by laser ablation in the SL instrument system;
- separating and thermalizing the one or more ions in a drift tube of the SL instrument system by collision with a high pressure helium gas in the drift tube of the SL instrument system;
- directing the thermalized ions using a split-ring ion optic from the drift tube to a mica landing surface;
- and
- soft-landing the metal ions on the surface.
A soft-landing (SL) method for depositing or patterning one or more ions, ionized nanoclusters, metal-ligand complexes, polymers, biopolymers, or combinations thereof, for liquid crystal formation, for controlled deposition of lubricants into MEMS devices, and for preparing catalytic surfaces comprising the steps of:
- providing a SL instrument comprising a drift tube and a split-ring ion optic;
- ionizing a target, a sample, a composition, or any combinations thereof comprising at least one component capable of generating one or more ions by laser ablation in the SL instrument;
- separating and thermalizing the one or more ions in the drift tube of the SL instrument by collision with a high pressure inert bath gas or a gas mixture contained in the drift tube;
- directing the thermalized ions using the split-ring ion optic from the drift tube to a detector or to a landing surface;
- and
- soft-landing the ions on the landing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.