Fabrication of an Ion Source using Carbon Nanoparticle Field Emitters for a Micro Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer

Abstract

This paper presents the fabrication of an ion source using carbon nanoparticle field emitters for a micro time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS). The micro TOFMS consists of a glass substrate with several electrodes and a silicon substrate with carbon nanoparticle (CNP) field emitters. The type of CNP field emitters is the triode type with which we can control the emission current at low voltage. The CNP layer is grown by hot-filament chemical-vapor deposition (HFCVD). The size of the assembled device is 10 x 10 x 1 mm3. The emission current of the ion source can be controlled from 0 to 94.3 ItA when the gate voltage varies from 0 to 85 V.

MEMS mass spectrometers: the next wave of miniaturization

“…Several small mass spectrometers with field emission sources have been constructed [71,72], including the miniature ion trap for the European Space Agency's Rosetta Comet Rendezvous Mission [73]. More recent devices have used carbon nanoparticles [74] and nanotubes [75,76] as sharp emitting tips, with advanced devices being fabricated in arrays with double gates [77].…”