High-Throughput Ionic Liquid Ion Sources Using Arrays of Microfabricated Electrospray Emitters With Integrated Extractor Grid and Carbon Nanotube Flow Control Structures

We report the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of dense, monolithic, and planar arrays of externally-fed electrospray emitters with an integrated extractor grid and carbon nanotube flow control structures for low-voltage and high-throughput electrospray of the ionic liquid EMI-BF4 in vacuum. Microfabricated arrays with as many as 1900 emitters in 1 cm² were fabricated and tested. Per-emitter currents as high as 5 μA in both polarities were measured, with start-up bias voltages as low as 470 V and extractor grid transmission as high as 80%. Maximum array emission currents of 1.35 mA (1.35 mA/cm²) were measured using arrays of 1900 emitters in 1 cm². A conformal carbon nanotube forest grown on the surface of the emitters acts as a wicking structure that transports liquid to the emitter tips, providing hydraulic impedance to regulate and uniformize the emission across the array. Mass spectrometry of the electrospray beam confirms that emission in both polarities is composed of solvated ions, and etching of the silicon collector electrode is observed. Collector imprints and per-emitter current-voltage characteristics for different emitter array sizes spanning three orders of magnitude show excellent emission uniformity across the array. Performance estimates of the devices as nanosatellite thrusters are provided.