Vacuum monitoring
First Claim
1. Apparatus for monitoring the change in the electrical resistive condition from an initially determined resistive condition of a layer of highly-reactive getter material located at an initially substantially evacuated site which is rendered physically inaccessible by sealing, comprising at least a pair of electrically-isolated electrically-conductive members each having surfaces both within and remote from said site, electrically-insulating material sealed with said members and preserving the electrically-isolated relationship thereof while disposing surface area therebetween at said site, a continuous layer of said getter material deposited upon said surface area and making electrical contacts with said surfaces of both of said conductive members within said site, and electrical measurement means remote from said site electrically coupled with said conductive members and responsive to said change as exhibited by said layer as a result of its reaction with gases present at said site, thereby to provide an external indication of the degree of degradation of the initial evacuation at said site prior to the exhaustion of the getter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Monitoring of gas contamination and of related deviations in pressures within a sealed cavity is effected by way of electrical-network responses to conduction characteristics of a thin-film deposit of getter material within the cavity, the getter film being deposited upon inert insulation between conductive contacts externally connected into an electrical circuit which controls related output signalling in accordance with conductance changes caused by getter material reactions with gas within the cavity.
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Citations
16 Claims
- 1. Apparatus for monitoring the change in the electrical resistive condition from an initially determined resistive condition of a layer of highly-reactive getter material located at an initially substantially evacuated site which is rendered physically inaccessible by sealing, comprising at least a pair of electrically-isolated electrically-conductive members each having surfaces both within and remote from said site, electrically-insulating material sealed with said members and preserving the electrically-isolated relationship thereof while disposing surface area therebetween at said site, a continuous layer of said getter material deposited upon said surface area and making electrical contacts with said surfaces of both of said conductive members within said site, and electrical measurement means remote from said site electrically coupled with said conductive members and responsive to said change as exhibited by said layer as a result of its reaction with gases present at said site, thereby to provide an external indication of the degree of degradation of the initial evacuation at said site prior to the exhaustion of the getter.
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10. Apparatus for monitoring the extents to which a highly-reactive getter material reacts with gas molecules within a cavity which has been substantially evacuated and sealed, comprising a combined electrical-connector and sensing unit in the form of a coaxial connector sealed with a wall of said cavity and extending therethrough, said unit including a first feed-through conductor and vitreous electrically-insulating material sealed with said conductor and presenting an insulating surface within said cavity, a continuous layer of getter material consisting essentially of barium deposited upon said insulating surface and making electrical contact both with said conductor and with another conductive surface to which low-resistance electrical connection is accessible outside of said cavity, an electrical heating element carrying a barium compound capable of releasing barium vapor when heated, means supporting said element within said cavity in close proximity with said electrically-insulating surface and said conductor for direction of barium vapor thereupon, shield means supported within said cavity in at least partially enclosing relation to said element and physically blocking the passage of barium vapor in at least certain paths away from said element, and means including at least a second feed-through conductor for forcing electrical current through said heating element to occasion release of barium vapor therefrom, whereby electrical resistance of said layer of getter material is exhibited between said conductor and said other conductive surface and characterizes said extents to which said material reacts with gas molecules.
- 11. The method of monitoring the condition of a highly-reactive getter material at a site rendered physically inaccessible by sealing, which comprises vapor-depositing a thin continuous layer of the getter material at that site atop an electrically-insulating surface and atop at least a pair of conductive members which are spaced apart with the insulating surface therebetween, and electrically detecting and characterizing the electrical resistance exhibited by the deposited layer between the conductive members.
Specification