Claims
- 1. An improved ion emitter electrode for ionizing molecules of gas, the electrode consisting of silicon which is doped substantially homogeneously with a dopant.
- 2. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, antimony and boron.
- 3. The electrode of claim 1 including:
- (a) a cylindrical portion having selected length and diameter; and
- (b) a conical portion having a substantially circular portion of a proximal end of the cone disposed at one circular end of the cylindrical portion, and having a taper extending outwardly toward a point having a nominal radius of curvature.
- 4. The electrode of claim 3 wherein the cylindrical portion and the conical portion are integrally formed of substantially homogenous silicon.
- 5. A method of producing an improved ion emitter electrode comprising the steps of:
- A. obtaining a silicon precursor;
- B. machining the silicon precursor to form the emitter electrode having a cylindrical portion and a conical portion extending toward a tip;
- C. polishing the tip;
- D. contacting the tip with a mixture of concentrated nitric acid, concentrated aqueous hydrofluoric acid and glacial acetic acid;
- E. washing the tip to remove the acid;
- F. drying the tip; and
- G. doping the silicon substantially homogeneously with a dopant.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein in step C, polishing the tip uses mechanical surface abrasives.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein in step D the tip is dried at about ambient temperature.
- 8. The method of claim 5 wherein the dopant is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus and boron and antimony.
- 9. The electrode of claim 1 wherein the silicon is approximately 99.9% pure.
- 10. The method of claim 5 wherein the silicon is approximately 99.9% pure.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 08/314,535 filed on Sep. 28, 1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,763 which is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/753,239 filed on Aug. 30 1991 abandoned which is a CIP of 01/004,660 filed on Aug. 17, 1990.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Sakurai, T., et al., "Field Calibration Using The Energy distribution of a Free-Space Field Ionization", Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 48, No. 6, Jun. 1977, pp. 2618-2625. |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
314535 |
Sep 1994 |
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Parent |
753239 |
Aug 1991 |
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