Miniaturized electrostatic analyzer manufactured using photolithographic etching

Abstract

A design for a new type of electrostatic analyzer, comprised of an arrangement of thin, patterned, conducting, and insulating plates and suitable for extreme miniaturization, is presented. The prototype, destined for use on a microsatellite-based experiment, is fabricated from photolithographically etched stainless steel plates with Teflon insulating layers. Results from tests on the prototype using a highly monoenergetic electron beam show that, as predicted, the device operates as a bandpass energy filter. The energy resolution and angular field of view of this design depend on the relative geometries of the apertures in the conducting plates and can be tailored to specific applications by varying these parameters.