Patent US3724466A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3644044A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3644044A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of analyzing a solid surface from photon emissions of sputtered particles
Assignee: AT&T Inc
•
Filing: 1970-05-20
•
Granted: 1972-02-22
•
Expires: 1990-05-20
Abstract
Abstract Identification of unknown constituents and their relative concentrations in a solid surface is made by bombarding the solid surface with an ion or molecule beam having low energy and low density, so as to achieve the sputtering of excited particles directly from the surface and resultant photon emissions characteristic of the sputtered particles.
Inventors
- 👤 Norman Henry Tolk
- 👤 Clark Woody White
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 07:52
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/252
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A method for determining the identities and relative concentrations of constituents of a solid surface comprising: 1. producing collisions of incident particles with the solid surface with sufficient energy to sputter particles from the surface, in an excited state to obtain photon emissions from at least a portion of said sputtered particles; 2. detecting at least a portion of the photon emissions so as to obtain electrical signals; and 3. processing the signals so as to obtain at least a portion of a characteristic spectrum, the wavelengths at which spectral peaks occur indicating the identity of the constituents, and the intensities of the peaks indicating the relative concentrations of the constituents; characterized in that said incident particles are in the form of a beam.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
124 words
A method for determining the identities and relative concentrations of constituents of a solid surface comprising: 1. producing collisions of incident particles with the solid surface with sufficient energy to sputter particles from the surface, in an excited state to obtain photon emissions from at least a portion of said sputtered particles; 2. detecting at least a portion of the photon emissions so as to obtain electrical signals; and 3. processing the signals so as to obtain at least a portion of a characteristic spectrum, the wavelengths at which spectral peaks occur indicating the identity of the constituents, and the intensities of the peaks indicating the relative concentrations of the constituents; characterized in that said incident particles are in the form of a beam.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
detecting at least a portion of the photon emissions so as to obtain electrical signals; and
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
detecting at least a portion of the photon emissions so as to obtain electrical signals; and
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method of claim 1 in which the collisions occur at an energy of at least 3 to 5 electron volts in excess of the energy defined by the relationship where m1 is the mass of the incident ion or molecule, m2 is the mass of the sputtered atom, Es is the threshold energy for the sputtering of surface atoms in their electronic ground states, and E* is the excitation energy of a specific excited state of the sputtered atom.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
processing the signals so as to obtain at least a portion of a characteristic spectrum, the wavelengths at which spectral peaks occur indicating the identity of the constituents, and the intensities of the peaks indicating the relative concentrations of the constituents; characterized in that said incident particles are in the form of a beam.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
processing the signals so as to obtain at least a portion of a characteristic spectrum, the wavelengths at which spectral peaks occur indicating the identity of the constituents, and the intensities of the peaks indicating the relative concentrations of the constituents; characterized in that said incident particles are in the form of a beam.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 2 in which the collision occurs at an energy of from 100 to 4,000 electron volts.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 in which the particle beam consists of ions of a member selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and the rare gases helium, neon, argon, krypton and zenon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 in which the solid surface is contacted by a conducting grid.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1 in which a conducting grid is positioned adjacent the solid surface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3217162A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-02-21 | 1975-08-23 | 1976-02-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-02-21 | 1979-08-23 | 1980-02-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-02-21 | 1983-08-23 | 1984-02-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |