CNT-based MEMS/NEMS gas ionizers for portable mass spectrometry applications
Name
Velaasquez-2010-CNT-based MEMSNEMS gas ionizers for portable mass spectrometry applications.pdf
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928.75 KB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Velasquez-Heller, Luis Fernand
Gassend, Blaise
Akinwande, Akintunde Ibitayo
Date Issued
June 2010
Journal
Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Citation
Velasquez-Garcia, Luis Fernando, Blaise Laurent Patrick Gassend, and Akintunde Ibitayo Akinwande. “CNT-Based MEMS/NEMS Gas Ionizers for Portable Mass Spectrometry Applications.” Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems 19.3 (2010): 484–493. Web. 25 May 2012. © 2010 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Version
Final published version
Abstract
We report the fabrication and experimental characterization of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based MEMS/NEMS electron impact gas ionizer with an integrated extractor gate for portable mass spectrometry. The ionizer achieves low-voltage ionization using sparse forests of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposited CNTs as field emitters and a proximal extractor grid with apertures aligned to the CNT forests to facilitate electron transmission. The extractor gate is integrated to the ionizer using a high-voltage MEMS packaging technology based on Si springs defined by deep reactive ion etching. The ionizer also includes a high-aspect-ratio silicon structure (??foam) that facilitates sparse CNT growth and also enables uniform current emission. The devices were tested as field emitters in high vacuum (10[superscript -8] torr) and as electron impact ionizers using argon at pressures of up to 21 mtorr. The experimental data show that the MEMS extractor gate transmits up to 66% of the emitted current and that the ionizers are able to produce up to 0.139 mA of ion current with up to 19% ionization efficiency while consuming 0.39 W.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Microsystems Technology Laboratories
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1109/JMEMS.2010.2045639
