Varian, Inc.

Nanotech Analysis S.r.l.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Raffaele Correale

Gianpiero Mensa

Cristian Maccarrone

Mario Busso

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods for gas sampling, for controlling and measuring a gaseous flow, and for controlling a pressure gradient. An exemplary devicefor controlling a gaseous flow comprises a gaseous flow adjusting interface, configured to inhibit or allow a flow of gas through the devicein a controlled manner, and control meansof the adjusting interface. The adjusting interfacecomprises a plurality of nano-holes. Each of the nano-holes has sub-micrometric dimensions and is suitable to be opened or closed in a controlled manner. The control means, in turn, comprise actuating means, suitable to open or close these nano-holes, and electronic processing means, configured to activate the actuation means to open or close individually or collectively the nano-holesin a controlled manner.

Device for controlling a gaseous flow and systems and methods employing the device

A portable systemfor analyzing gaseous flows that vary over time is described, the system comprising a sampling chamber, a gas sampling module, an ion filtering moduleand an ion detecting module. The gas sampling moduleis configured to adjust an input gaseous flow Fi of gas particles from the sampling chamber, ionize said gas particles and to emit the produced ions, so as to generate an ion flow I. The ion filtering moduleis configured to controllably select at least one type of ion present in the ion flow I and to generate a corresponding at least one homogeneous ion beam I', having an intensity representative of the concentration of the corresponding gas particle in the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The ion detecting moduleis configured to measure the intensity of the at least one ion beam I&#x2032;.

Portable electronic system for the analysis of time-variable gaseous flows

An electronic devicefor analyzing a gas composition, which is present in an environment A at an environment pressure Pa, is described. The deviceis portable and comprises a gas sampling module, an ion filtering moduleand an ion detecting module. The sampling moduleis configured to adjust an input gaseous flow Fi of gaseous particles from the environment A and to ionize said gaseous particles and to generate an ion flow I having an ion composition representative of the gas composition to be analyzed. The ion filtering moduleis configured to controllably select at least one type of ions present in the ion flow I and to generate a corresponding at least one homogeneous ion beam I'. The ion detecting moduleis configured to measure the intensity of such least one ion beam I&#x2032;.

Portable electronic device for the analysis of a gaseous composition

A devicefor generating a controlled ionic flow I is described. The deviceis portable and comprises an ionization chamber, at least one inlet memberand at least one ion outlet member. The ionization chamberis suitable to be kept at a vacuum pressure, and configured to ionize gaseous particles contained therein. The at least one inlet memberis configured to inhibit or allow and/or adjust an inlet in the ionization chamber of a gaseous flow Fi of said gaseous particles. In addition, the at least one inlet membercomprises a gaseous flow adjusting interface, having a plurality of nano-holes, of sub-micrometric dimensions, suitable to be opened or closed, in a controlled manner, to inhibit or allow a respective plurality of gas micro-flows through the at least one inlet member

Device for generating a composition-controlled and intensity-controlled ionic flow and related method

A method for operating a mass spectrometer (MS) includes establishing a pressure differential across a membrane wherein an upstream pressure in a calibrant gas inlet line on an upstream side of the membrane is greater than a downstream pressure in an ion source on a downstream side of the membrane; flowing a calibrant gas from the calibrant gas inlet line, through a nano-scale orifice of the membrane, and into the ion source; and maintaining the upstream pressure at a constant value. The calibrant may be flowed at a low flow rate. An MS system includes a membrane interposed between a calibrant gas introduction system and a mass spectrometer. The membrane may include an orifice of nano-scale diameter.

Calibration of mass spectrometry systems

A gas sampling device has a high-vacuum tight chamber formed within its casing, which communicates with an ambient outside through an inlet hole for the gas flow to be ionized and the ambient downstream the ionization chamber with an outlet hole for the ionized gas. A high-vacuum tight membrane separates the inlet hole from the ambient outside the chamber. The membrane has at least one nanohole formed therethrough with a diameter in the order of nanometers.

Gas sampling device and gas analyzer employing the same

GC-MS analysis apparatus has an interface section between GC and MS sections, which is located with respect to the direction of an analyte flow downstream of the GC section and upstream of the MS section. The interface section comprises at least one membrane with at least one orifice capable of establishing a molecular flow condition in the analyte passing between the GC and MS sections through the membrane. The membrane is subjected to a pressure differential such that the pressure pin a region located upstream of the membrane is higher than the pressure pin a region located downstream of the membrane.

GC-MS analysis apparatus

A pressure sensor made of a wafer with a pair of parallel silicon layers and a silicon oxide layer there between, comprises a vibrating microassembly formed as a silicon beam, which is arranged in a plane perpendicular to the silicon layers and fastened to a supporting base. A control devise is formed from a portion of one of the silicon layers and is driven by a signal of a predetermined frequency component, which under absolute vacuum conditions makes the microassembly to freely oscillate at a known frequency and amplitude relative to the supporting base within a cavity formed by removing the silicon oxide layer. An optical detection system detects deviations of the frequency and/or amplitude of oscillation of the microassembly from the known frequency and/or amplitude.

Pressure sensor with improved vibrating microassembly and optical detection system

A micro-electro-mechanical vibrating pumping stage comprises a silicon substrate () on which there are formed a single-layer or multilayer oscillating assembly () with a vibrating membrane and a device controlling the membrane in order to provide its oscillation with respect to the substrate. A molecular vacuum pump incorporates this vibrating pumping stage.

Vibrating pumping stage for molecular vacuum pumps, and molecular vacuum pump with vibrating pumping stages

A pressure sensor is a micro-electro-mechanical vibrating device, with a silicon substrate (') onto which a single-layer or multilayer vibrating assembly () is formed. It comprises an electrode (&#x2032;), which makes the assembly to oscillate relative to the substrate at the resonance frequency or at another known frequency, and a detector for detecting the actual frequency and/or amplitude of said oscillation. The actual frequency and/or amplitude are affected by the conditions, in particular the pressure, of the external environment and the variations of the frequency and amplitude with respect to the values set by the electrode is used to measure pressure variations in the surrounding environment.

Pressure sensor

An ionisation vacuum gauge for measuring the residual pressure of a gaseous material remaining in a container (), more particularly after operation of a vacuum pump comprises an electron-emitting cathode () made by exploiting the nanotube technology, a grid (') for accelerating the electrons emitted by the cathode, and a plate () collecting the ions and/or the ionised positive molecules of the gas. Measuring the plate current by a galvanometer allows for determining the value of the residual pressure inside the container.

Ionization vacuum gauge

The present invention relates to an ionisation vacuum gauge for measuring the residual pressure of a gaseous material remaining in a container (), more particularly after operation of a vacuum pump. The gauge comprises an electron-emitting cathode (), a grid () for accelerating the electrons emitted by the cathode and a plate () collecting the ions and/or the ionised positive molecules of the gas, wherein said plate is placed outside said grid. Measuring the plate current by a galvanometer allows determining the value of the residual pressure inside the container.

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Turin, Italy

Raffaele Correale