Residual gas sensor utilizing a miniature quadrupole array
US5857890A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/49171
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A residual gas sensor, suitable for mounting within an low pressure chamber, includes an array of quadrupoles formed from a plurality of parallel rods mounted in a cantilevered fashion in a glass seal. Sixteen parallel rods form an array of nine quadrupoles with adjacent quadrupoles sharing adjacent rods. A filament emitting electrons ionize gas molecules present in the low pressure chamber. These ions enter channels in the center of each quadrupole and are accelerated towards a collector having a surface mounted within each channel of each quadrupole. Voltages are applied to the rods thereby creating an identical electric field within the channels of each quadrupoles of the array. By varying the voltages applied to the rods, the electric field within the channels can be tuned to permit only ions having a specific mass-to-charge ratio to make contact with the collector. By analyzing the current generated by the ions making contact with the collector at different voltages, the presence and quantity of gases present in the low pressure chamber can be determined.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.