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US 6,642,526 B2Granted
Field ionizing elements and applications thereof
AssigneeIonfinity LLC
InventorFrank T. Hartley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A field ionizing element formed of a membrane that houses electrodes therein that are located closer to one another than the mean free path of the gas being ionized. The membrane includes a supporting portion, and a non supporting portion where the ions are formed. The membrane may be used as the front end for a number of different applications including a mass spectrometer, a thruster, an ion mobility element, or an electrochemical device such as a fuel cell.
Claims57
A system, comprising:
- an ionizing device, comprising a substrate having at least one opening, a first conductive electrode extending on a first surface of the substrate and a second conductive electrode extending on a second surface of the substrate, and a separator insulating element, having a thickness less than 1 micron, separating said first and second conductive electrodes at said at least one opening, said first and second conductive electrodes being separated by a width of said separator insulating element.
An ionizing membrane, comprising:
- a thick supporting portion with at least one opening formed in the thick supporting portion;
- an insulating clement coated on a surface of the thick supporting portion configured to form a hole within each at least one opening in the thick supporting portion;
- and
- first and second metal electrodes coated on surfaces of the thick supporting portion extending into the openings in the thick supporting portion, where the insulating element separates the first and second metal electrodes within the holes of the insulating element by a distance less than the mean free path of a material being ionized.
1 more element
A method of forming an ionization membrane, comprising:
- forming a layer of thin dielectric material on a substrate that has a first specified thickness of a sufficient thickness to maintain structural integrity;
- forming a first electrode on the first surface of said thin dielectric material, said first electrode being formed of a metal material;
- back etching at least one hole in said substrate;
- forming a second electrode on a second surface of the substrate including the at least one back etching holes, such that at least a portion of the second electrode is on a second surface of the thin dielectric material;
- and
- forming holes in the second electrode, thin dielectric material and the first electrode, which holes have side surfaces where the first and second electrodes are separated by a width of the thin dielectric material.
3 more elements
A method of forming a ionizing source, comprising:
- forming a layer of thin dielectric material on a substrate that has a first specified thickness of a sufficient thickness to maintain structural integrity;
- forming a first electrode on the first surface of said thin dielectric material, said first electrode being formed of a metal material;
- forming at least one hole in said substrate;
- forming a second electrode on a second surface of the substrate including the at least one hole in said substrate, such that at least a portion of the second electrode is on a second surface of the thin dielectric material;
- and
- forming at least one hole in the second electrode, thin dielectric material and the first electrode, which at least one hole has side surfaces where the first and second electrodes are separated by a width of the thin dielectric material.
3 more elements
A system, comprising:
- an ionizing device, comprising a support member having at least one opening, a first conductive electrode extending on a first surface of the support member and a second conductive electrode extending on a second surface of the support member, and separator means for separating said first and second conductive electrodes by a width of said separator means, wherein said separator means has a thickness less than the mean free path of the material being ionized.
An ionizing membrane, comprising:
- a thick supporting portion with a first surface and with openings formed in the thick supporting portion;
- an insulating clement with first and second surfaces, wherein the insulating element is coated on the first surface of the thick supporting portion and terminates at a first end within the openings to form holes;
- a first electrodes coated on die first surface of the insulating element that approximately terminates at the first end of said insulating element;
- a second electrode coated on the second surface of the insulating element that approximately terminates at die first end of said insulating element;
- and
- wherein a distance between the first and second metal electrodes within the holes is less than the mean free path of a material being ionized.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.