Microfabrication Process and Characteristic Testing of a MEMS-Based Preconcentrator

Due to terroristic activities it has become of significant importance to accurately detect vapor or trace particles of explosive materials. This task is difficult due to the limited number of particles available to be gathered for analysis. In order to combat this problem a preconcentrator has been developed to increase collection efficiency and the signal to noise ratio. Described is the fabrication process and characteristic testing prior to use with a portable ion mobility spectrometer (IMS).