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US 5,502,348 AGranted
Ballistic charge transport device with integral active contaminant absorption means
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsCurtis D. Moyer, Lawrence N. Dworsky, Robert C. Kane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ballistic charge transport device including an edge electron emitter defining an elongated central opening therethrough with a receiving terminal (e.g. an anode) at one end of the opening and a getter at the other end. A suitable potential is applied between the emitter and the receiving terminal to attract emitted electrons to the receiving terminal and a different suitable potential is applied between the emitter and the getter so that contaminants, such as ions and other undesirable particles, are accelerated toward and absorbed by the getter.
Claims18
A ballistic charge transport device comprising:
- a supporting substrate having a major surface;
- an integrally formed contaminant absorption layer having an affinity to absorb charged and uncharged atomic and molecular contaminants disposed on the major surface;
- a first insulating layer disposed on the contaminant absorption layer and having a first insulator aperture defined therethrough so as to expose a portion of the contaminant absorption layer;
- an active device assembly comprised of a plurality of layers disposed on the first insulating layer and including:
- a charged particle source layer having first and second surfaces and designed to emanate desired particles;
- second and third insulator layers in operable communication one on each of the first and second charged particle source layer surfaces;
- first and second electric field particle extraction layers one each disposed on one of the second and third insulator layers, and
- an assembly aperture defined therethrough and substantially in registration with the first insulator aperture;
- and
- a receiving terminal, for receiving desired charged particles emanating from the source, distally disposed with respect to the active device assembly and defining a transport region therebetween, such that desired charged particles emanating from the source are received at the receiving terminal and contaminant particles emanating from the receiving terminal and desorbed from other device surfaces are preferentially absorbed at the contaminant absorption layer.
7 more elements
A ballistic charge transport device comprising:
- an active device assembly including a charged particle source layer having first and second opposed surfaces and designed to emanate desired particles, first and second insulator layers positioned one on each of the first and second charged particle source layer surfaces, and first and second electric field particle extraction layers one each disposed on one of the first and second insulator layers;
- a receiving terminal, for receiving desired charged particles emanating from the source, distally disposed with respect to the active device assembly and defining a transport region therebetween, such that desired charged particles emanating from the source traverse the transport region and are received at the receiving terminal;
- and
- a contaminant absorption layer having an affinity to absorb charged and uncharged atomic and molecular contaminants and positioned relative to the active device assembly and the receiving terminal such that contaminant particles emanating from the receiving terminal and desorbed from other device surfaces are preferentially absorbed at the contaminant absorption layer.
1 more element
A method of removing contaminants from a ballistic charge transport device comprising the steps of:
- providing a ballistic charge transport device including an active device assembly with a charged particle source layer having first and second opposed surfaces and designed to emanate desired particles, first and second insulator layers positioned one on each of the first and second charged particle source layer surfaces, first and second electric field particle extraction layers one each disposed on one of the first and second insulator layers, and a receiving terminal, for receiving desired charged particles emanating from the source, distally disposed with respect to the active device assembly and defining a transport region therebetween, such that desired charged particles emanating from the source traverse the transport region and are received at the receiving terminal;
- and
- providing a contaminant absorption layer having an affinity to absorb charged and uncharged atomic and molecular contaminants and positioning the contaminant absorption layer relative to the active device assembly and the receiving terminal such that contaminant particles emanating from the receiving terminal and desorbed from other device surfaces are preferentially absorbed at the contaminant absorption layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.