Micro-structured atomic source system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9788407-B2
Application number	US-201715414295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2017
Priority date	Apr 9, 2015
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A micro-structured atomic source system is described herein. One system includes a silicon substrate, a dielectric diaphragm, wherein the dielectric diaphragm includes a heater configured to heat an atomic source substance, an intermediary material comprising a chamber configured to receive the atomic source substance, and a guide material configured to direct a flux of atoms from the atomic source substance.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A micro-structured atomic source system, comprising:
a diaphragm located adjacent to a substrate wherein the substrate includes a channel, the diaphragm including a heater configured to heat an atomic source substance;
an intermediary material adjacent to the diaphragm, the intermediary material comprising a chamber with an opening configured to receive the atomic source substance; and
a guide material adjacent to the intermediary material, the guide material partially covering the opening of the chamber, wherein the guide material is configured to direct a flux of atoms from the atomic source substance.

2. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the chamber is etched by an isotropic wet etch.

3. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the chamber is etched by a dry etch and an isotropic wet etch.

4. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 3 , wherein the chamber is etched vertically by the dry etch and etched horizontally by the isotropic wet etch.

5. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the channel is etched by an anisotropic wet etch.

6. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 5 , wherein walls of the channel are etched at a slope by the anisotropic wet etch.

7. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the channel is etched by a deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) anisotropic etch.

8. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 7 , wherein walls of the channel are etched vertically by the DRIE anisotropic etch.

9. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the opening of the chamber is formed by a wet etch.

10. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 1 , wherein the opening of the chamber is formed by ion milling.

11. A method for operating a micro-structured atomic source system, comprising:
receiving an atomic source substance through etched openings of one or more chambers located in an intermediary material located adjacent to a diaphragm;
heating, via heaters located in the diaphragm, the atomic source substance such that the atomic source substance sublimates to produce a flux of atoms; and
directing, via openings located in a guide material located adjacent to the intermediary material and partially covering each of the openings of each respective chamber, the flux of atoms.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method includes directing the flux of atoms from a first opening of the openings in a first direction and directing the flux of atoms from a second opening of the openings in a second direction.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first direction is the same as the second direction.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first direction is different from the second direction.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method includes aligning a shadow mask with the openings in the chambers to receive the atomic source substance.

16. A micro-structured atomic source system, comprising:
a diaphragm located adjacent to a substrate that includes etched channels, wherein the diaphragm includes heaters, where each heater is configured to heat a different one of atomic source substances, wherein each different atomic source substance is located adjacent to its respective heater;
an intermediary material located adjacent to the substrate and the diaphragm comprising one or more chambers, where each chamber includes an etched opening, wherein each of the chambers are configured to receive a different one of the atomic source substances; and
a guide material located adjacent to the intermediary material and including the etched openings, each of the etched openings configured to direct a flux of atoms from a different one of the atomic source substances, wherein the guide material partially covers each of the etched openings of each of the chambers.

17. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 16 , wherein different ones of the atomic source substances are located in different chambers.

18. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 17 , wherein a flux of atoms of the different ones of the atomic source substances are directed in different directions.

19. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 16 , wherein a magnitude of a flux of atoms of a first one of the atomic source substances is different than a magnitude of a flux of atoms of a second one of the atomic source substances.

20. The micro-structured atomic source system of claim 16 , wherein a magnitude of a flux of atoms of a first one of the atomic source substances is the same as a magnitude of a flux of atoms of a second one of the atomic source substances.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Goeders James
• Marcus Matthew S
• Ohnstein Thomas
• Stark Terry Dean

Classifications

• B81B7/02 Primary

  containing distinct electrical or optical devices of particular relevance for their function, e.g. microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS] (B81B7/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B81C2201/0133

  Wet etching · CPC title

• B81B2203/0127

  Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function · CPC title

• B81C1/00158

  Diaphragms, membranes (manufacture process for semi-permeable inorganic membranes B01D67/0039) · CPC title

• B81C2201/0132

  Dry etching, i.e. plasma etching, barrel etching, reactive ion etching [RIE], sputter etching or ion milling · CPC title