Electrospray devices and methods for fabricating electrospray devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11708182-B2
Application number	US-202017007890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

Electrospray devices and methods of fabricating electrospray devices are described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrospray device, comprising:
a solid substrate;
one or more emitters formed on a first surface of the solid substrate; and
one or more capillary pores formed in the solid substrate, wherein the one or more capillary pores are configured to transport a source of ions from a reservoir to the first surface through the substrate,
wherein the first surface is a uniformly and/or conformally texturized with a plurality of micropillars that extend from the first surface to facilitate wetting of the first surface and thus facilitate transport of the source of ions from the one or more capillary pores to the one or more emitters via the first surface.

2. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more capillary pores extend through the solid substrate from the first surface to a second opposing surface of the solid substrate.

3. The electrospray device of claim 1 , further comprising an extractor plate disposed downstream from the solid substrate.

4. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein a density of the one or more emitters on the solid substrate is at least 62,500/cm 2 .

5. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the one or more capillary pores capillary pores to one or more emitters is at least 1:1.

6. The electrospray device of claim 1 , further comprising an extractor plate proximate to the first surface of the solid substrate.

7. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more emitters comprises a plurality of micropillars formed on a respective surface of each of the one or more emitters.

8. The electrospray device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of micropillars has an average length of less than or equal to 5 microns.

9. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein a pitch between each of the one or more emitters is less than or equal to 65 microns.

10. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein the solid substrate comprises silicon, black silicon, germanium, and/or silicon carbide.

11. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein a respective surface of each of the one or more emitters is uniformly and/or conformally texturized with a step-like texture.

12. The electrospray device of claim 11 , wherein the step-like texture comprises a gradient in a thickness of texturization.

13. The electrospray device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of micropillars have an average length of less than or equal to 5 microns.

14. An electrospray device, comprising:
a solid substrate; and
one or more emitters formed on a first surface of the solid substrate, wherein a density of the one or more emitters on the solid substrate is at least 62,500/cm7,
wherein the first surface is a uniformly and/or conformally texturized with a plurality of micropillars that that extend from the first surface to facilitate wetting of the first surface and thus facilitate transport of a source of ions along the first surface to the one or more emitters.

15. The electrospray device of claim 14 , further comprising one or more capillary pores in the solid substrate and wherein the one or more emitters is in fluidic communication with the one or more capillary pores.

16. The electrospray device of claim 15 , further comprising a reservoir and wherein the one or more capillary pores are configured to transport the source of ions disposed in the reservoir to the one or more emitters.

17. The electrospray device of claim 15 , wherein a ratio of the one or more capillary pores to the one or more emitters is at least 1:1.

18. The electrospray device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more capillary pores extend through the solid substrate from the first surface to a second opposing surface of the solid substrate.

19. The electrospray device of claim 14 , further comprising an extractor plate disposed downstream from the solid substrate.

20. The electrospray device of claim 14 , further comprising an extractor plate proximate to the first surface of the solid substrate.

21. The electrospray device of claim 14 , wherein a respective surface of each of the one or more emitters are also texturized by the plurality of micropillars.

22. The electrospray device of claim 21 , wherein the plurality of micropillars has an average length of less than or equal to 5 microns.

23. The electrospray device of claim 14 , wherein a pitch between each of the one or more emitters is less than or equal to 65 microns.

24. The electrospray device of claim 14 , wherein the solid substrate comprises silicon, black silicon, germanium, and/or silicon carbide.

25. The electrospray device of claim 14 , wherein a respective surface of each of the one or more emitters is uniformly and/or conformally texturized with a step-like texture.

26. The electrospray device of claim 25 , wherein the step-like texture comprises a gradient in a thickness of texturization.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Smith Melissa Alyson
• Yost Donna-Ruth
• Freeman Daniel
• Siegel Noah
• Lozano Paulo C

Classifications

• F03H1/0012 Primary

  Means for supplying the propellant · CPC title

• B64G1/413

  Ion or plasma engines · CPC title

• B64G1/405 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• H01J49/165

  Electrospray ionisation · CPC title

• F03H1/005

  using field emission, e.g. Field Emission Electric Propulsion [FEEP] · CPC title