Patents Assigned to Physical Electronics Inc.
  • Patent number: 5602899
    Abstract: An anode assembly for generating x-rays has a mounting block with a channel therethrough, with a diamond wafer mounted sealingly across an opening in the block so as to have an inner surface in contact with the coolant flowing in the channel. Alternatively, a thicker diamond member is mounted in the block with thermal conduction through the metal block. A metal anode film bonded to the outer surface of the diamond is receptive of a focused electron beam to generate x-rays. The diamond provides cooling in compensation for the film being heated by the electron beam. The assembly is useful in a scanning x-ray monochromator instrument for chemical analysis of a specimen surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Physical Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Paul E. Larson
  • Patent number: 5444242
    Abstract: An instrument for surface analysis includes rastering an electron beam across an anode to generate x-rays. A concave Bragg monochromator focuses an energy peak of the x-rays to a specimen surface, the x-rays rastering the surface to emit photoelectrons. An analyzer provides information on the photoelectrons and thereby chemical species in the surface. A second detector of low energy photoelectrons is cooperative with the rastering to produce a scanning photoelectron image of the surface for imaging of the specimen. Alternatively a lens formed of two concave grids transits the photoelectrons to the analyzer with selectively modified energy so that the analyzer detects either higher energy electrons characteristic of chemical species or lower electrons for the image. The monochromator is formed of platelets cut from an array of platelets in a single crystal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 22, 1995
    Assignee: Physical Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Paul E. Larson, Paul W. Palmberg