Patent US3662154A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3662154A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Spherical titanium sublimator
Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Inc
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Filing: 1970-10-19
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Granted: 1972-05-09
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Expires: 1990-10-19
Abstract
Abstract A sublimator is described for subliming a material such as titanium. The sublimator comprises a generally spherical hollow body of the material to be sublimated enclosing a source of heating energy. The wall of the hollow body is uniformly thick over its full extent, and the configuration of the heat source is correlated to the inner surface of the spherical body to provide a generally uniform rate of total heat energy absorption at substantially all portions of the body. The result is that the body sublimates uniformly from its full outer surface, and at the time in which any one portion of the body is fully dissipated, i.e., when an aperture appears through the body, the remaining portion of the body is also substantially dissipated.
Inventors
- 👤 David J Harra
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 13:18
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N25/00; G01N25/02; H; H05; H05B; H05B3/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
237 words
A source for providing sublimed material comprising a hollow body of a material to be sublimed, said hollow body having inner and outer surfaces, a source of heat energy located within said hollow body for directing heat energy at the inner surface of said hollow body for conduction through said body to sublime said material from said body''s outer surface, said hollow body being substantially closed to prevent escape therefrom of both the heat energy flowing directly from said source and the heat energy reflected from said inner surface of said body, the inner surface of said body having a configuration such that heat energy reflected from any one portion of said surface is ultimately directed to another portion of said surface for absorption by said material to be sublimated, said inner surface configuration and the configuration of said heat source being related to correlate the rate of total heat energy absorption at each portion of said body with the wall thickness at said portion so that substantially all of the material of said portion is sublimed at the end of a predetermined time interval which is generally the same for all portions of said body, whereby all portions of said body are substantially dissipated at the end of said interval to maximize the amount of material which is already sublimated from said body at the time at which any portion of said body is completely dissipated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
237 words
A source for providing sublimed material comprising a hollow body of a material to be sublimed, said hollow body having inner and outer surfaces, a source of heat energy located within said hollow body for directing heat energy at the inner surface of said hollow body for conduction through said body to sublime said material from said body''s outer surface, said hollow body being substantially closed to prevent escape therefrom of both the heat energy flowing directly from said source and the heat energy reflected from said inner surface of said body, the inner surface of said body having a configuration such that heat energy reflected from any one portion of said surface is ultimately directed to another portion of said surface for absorption by said material to be sublimated, said inner surface configuration and the configuration of said heat source being related to correlate the rate of total heat energy absorption at each portion of said body with the wall thickness at said portion so that substantially all of the material of said portion is sublimed at the end of a predetermined time interval which is generally the same for all portions of said body, whereby all portions of said body are substantially dissipated at the end of said interval to maximize the amount of material which is already sublimated from said body at the time at which any portion of said body is completely dissipated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 1 wherein the wall of said body of material to be sublimated is of generally uniform thickness, and said inner surface configuration and the configuration of said heat source are correlated to provide a generally uniform rate of total heat energy absorption at substantially all portions of said body with a consequent uniform sublimation rate over substantially all portions of the outer surface of said body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
33 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 1 wherein said inner surface of said body includes a portion which is rougher than other portions to increase absorption of heat at said roughened portion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 3 wherein means acting as a heat sink is in heat conducting relationship to said body adjacent said roughened inner surface portion, and said roughened portion increases said heat absorption of said portion to compensate for heat loss due to the presence of said heat sink.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 4 wherein said means acting as a heat sink is a support member secured to said body for mounting the same in a vacuum chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 1 wherein substantially all of said inner surface of said body is curved generally concavely with respect to said source of heat energy to provide said reflection of heat energy from any one portion of said surface to another portion of said surface for absorption by said material to be sublimated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 6 wherein said inner surface configuration is generally spherical.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 7 wherein said source of heat energy is an open, generally cylindrical radiating body.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
87 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 7 wherein the outer surface of said body also has a configuration which is generally spherical and the wall thickness of said hollow body is generally uniform over its full extent, and the configuration of said heat source is correlated to said spherical inner surface to provide a generally uniform rate of total heat energy absorption at substantially all portions of said bodY and a consequent uniform sublimation rate over substantially all portions of the outer surface of said body.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 9 wherein said body includes a relatively short tubular section joining two hemispherical sections at the midplane thereof to provide said generally spherical inner and outer surfaces.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
95 words
A source of sublimed material for high vacuum pumping comprising a body of a material to be sublimated having a wall defining two opposite surfaces, a first surface for receiving heat energy and a second one for the sublimation of material therefrom due to the conduction of heat through said body from said first surface, and a source of heat energy for directing heat energy at said first surface, said first surface including a portion which is rougher than other portions to increase absorption of heat at said roughened portion for conduction through said body.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
95 words
A source of sublimed material for high vacuum pumping comprising a body of a material to be sublimated having a wall defining two opposite surfaces, a first surface for receiving heat energy and a second one for the sublimation of material therefrom due to the conduction of heat through said body from said first surface, and a source of heat energy for directing heat energy at said first surface, said first surface including a portion which is rougher than other portions to increase absorption of heat at said roughened portion for conduction through said body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
61 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 11 wherein means acting as a heat sink is in heat conducting relationship to said body adjacent said surface portion, and said roughened portion increases said heat absorption at said portion relative to the remainder of said surface to compensate for heat loss adjacent said portion due to the presence of said heat sink.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 12 wherein said means acting as a heat sink in a support member secured to said body for mounting the same in a vacuum chamber, said body is hollow, and said source of heat energy is positioned inside said body.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
81 words
A source for providing sublimed material comprising an electrical heater, a wall made of said material to be sublimed, said wall having inner and outer surfaces and being shaped to provide a hollow body substantially enclosing said heater, said heater being spaced from contact with said inner surface of said wall, said wall having an aperture therein, a lead for said heater passing through said aperture, and said heater within said hollow body having a size substantially larger than said aperture.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
81 words
A source for providing sublimed material comprising an electrical heater, a wall made of said material to be sublimed, said wall having inner and outer surfaces and being shaped to provide a hollow body substantially enclosing said heater, said heater being spaced from contact with said inner surface of said wall, said wall having an aperture therein, a lead for said heater passing through said aperture, and said heater within said hollow body having a size substantially larger than said aperture.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
18 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 14 wherein said inner surface of said wall is entirely concave.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 14 further comprising a support structure connected to said hollow body, an electrical connector attached to said heater lead, and said support structure being mechanically connected to said electrical connector by an electrical insulator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
66 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 16 wherein said heater has a second lead, said hollow body has a second aperture, an electrically conducting plug is positioned in said second aperture in electrical contact with the wall of the aperture, said second lead is electrically connected to said plug, and said plug is of a material having a sublimation temperature below that of said wall.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
The source of sublimed material of claim 16 wherein said inner surface of the wall adjacent the connection of said support structure to said hollow body is rough compared to other portions of said inner surface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3241740A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-05-09 | 1975-11-08 | 1976-05-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-05-09 | 1979-11-08 | 1980-05-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-05-09 | 1983-11-08 | 1984-05-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |