System and method for manufacturing field emission structures using a ferromagnetic material

• US 7,804,387 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cedar Ridge Research LLC
• Inventors: Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrera, Ramon M
• Application Number:
  US12/243,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 335/284, 335/285, 335302-306, 310/90.5, 243/03
• US Class Current: 335/284
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/02 for manufacturing cores, coils, or magnets H01F41/14 takes precedence; for dynamo-electric machines H02K15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0278 for generating uniform fields, focusing, deflecting electrically charged particles for magnetic separation by Lorentz force B03C1/023; specially adapted for NMR applications G01R33/383
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0284 using a trimmable or adjustable magnetic circuit, e.g. for a symmetric dipole or quadrupole magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0266 using field effect transistors as protective elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/32 having magnetic fastener
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49075 including permanent magnet or core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49904 Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53091 for work-holder for assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5313 Means to assemble electrical device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

An improved field emission system and method is provided that involves field emission structures having electric or magnetic field sources. The magnitudes, polarities, and positions of the magnetic or electric field sources are configured to have desirable correlation properties, which may be in accordance with a code. The correlation properties correspond to a desired spatial force function where spatial forces between field emission structures correspond to relative alignment, separation distance, and the spatial force function.

Claims

1. A system for producing a field emission structure, said field emission structure being made of material that changes at least one field emission property of the field emission structure when subjected to a critical temperature, comprising:

a heat source that heats at least a portion of said material to a temperature that is substantially equal to said critical temperature; and

at least one field emission source having at least one second field emission property in accordance with a correlation function, said at least one field emission source being brought into proximity with said at least a portion of said material for a duration of time that changes said at least one field emission property of said material according to said correlation function, said correlation function being in accordance with a code, said code corresponding to a code modulo of said field emission structure and a code modulo of an additional field emission structure, said code defining a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of said code modulo of said first field emission structure with said code modulo of said additional field emission structure, said code also defining a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of said code modulo of said first field emission structure and said complementary code modulo of said additional field emission structure, said plurality of off peak spatial forces having a largest off peak spatial force, said largest off peak spatial force being less than half of said peak spatial force.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said field emission structure comprises one of an electric field emission structure or a magnetic field emission structure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said critical temperature comprises the Curie temperature of said material.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said critical temperature comprises the Neel temperature of said material.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one portion of said material comprises at least one field emission source location.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one field emission source location is brought into proximity with said at least one field emission source.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one field emission source has at least one of a constant polarity or a polarity varied in time.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said heat source comprises at least one laser.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one field emission source comprises at least one of an electric field emission source or a magnetic field emission source.

10. A method for producing a field emission structure, comprising:

heating at least a portion of a material having at least one field emission property that changes when subjected to a critical temperature thereby causing the temperature of said at least a portion of said material to be substantially equal to said critical temperature; and

bringing at least one field emission source having a second field emission property in accordance with a correlation function into proximity with said at least a portion of said material for a duration of time to change said at least one field emission property of said material according to said correlation function, said correlation function being in accordance with a code, said code corresponding to a code modulo of said field emission structure and a code modulo of an additional field emission structure, said code defining a peak spatial force corresponding to substantial alignment of said code modulo of said first field emission structure with said code modulo of said additional field emission structure, said code also defining a plurality of off peak spatial forces corresponding to a plurality of different misalignments of said code modulo of said first field emission structure and said complementary code modulo of said additional field emission structure, said plurality of off peak spatial forces having a largest off peak spatial force, said largest off peak spatial force being less than half of said peak spatial force.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said critical temperature comprises the Curie temperature of said material.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said critical temperature comprises the Neel temperature of said material.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one portion of said material comprises at least one field emission source location.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one field emission source has one of a constant polarity or a polarity varied in time.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one field emission source comprises at least one of an electric field emission source or a magnetic field emission source.