Spacecraft mass spectrometer ion source employing field emission cathodes

An ion source that utilizes a pair of thin-film field emission cathodes to provide current for electric impact ionization is studied. The field emission cathodes are composed of microscopically small needle tips and an extraction electrode; the cathodes generate a 200-eV, 0.1-mA electron beam. The multistep process for the manufacturing of the field emission cathodes is examined. The operation of the ion source, which ionizes atoms and molecules that enter the mass spectrometer with a ram velocity of about 80 km/sec, is described.