Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for the automatic measurement of start time of evaporation of barium getter devices

US5139452A · kind A · utility

0Cited by
3References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 11, 1991
Grant dateAug 18, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 11, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J9/39
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method is described for the automatic determination of the time when barium starts to evaporate, or "start time", of barium evaporable getters. A temperature difference measurement is made of the temperature of the glass wall outside the getter location by means of a sensor preferably comprising an infrared pyrometer calibrated on a wave length of about 10 .mu.m suitable for measuring temperatures of 0.degree.-500.degree. C. Under these conditions the temperature curve measured, through an integral function, follows the behavior of the temperature of the getter which reveals a typical behavior at the moment in which barium starts to evaporate. Once .DELTA.T has been calculated from the analysis of a series of experimental test results on the integral curve, that value corresponds to the start time. The measurement of temperature is transformed into a suitably amplified voltage this giving a value of V corresponding to the start time. This can then be used to automatically regulate the R.F. generator power level to obtain a constant start time or to regulate the total time of evaporation of the getter so as to obtain a constant barium yield.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.