1. System overview:

This document summarizes essential details for materials, setup, and operation. This is for transcription, archival, and research purposes only. It is based on an old patent and is not intended as a finished product. Operating conditions described require specialized handling and safety precautions, and the descriptions outlined here do not constitute a recommendation or endorsement to build or operate the device. Attempts to replicate or build upon these models are entirely at your own risk.

Source patent:

• Shoulders, Kenneth R. U.S. Patent No. 5,123,039. Issued June 16, 1992.
• Image: Fig 29 & Fig 30
• Text: FROM Column 28 line 32 UNTIL Column 30 line 44

1.1. Purpose

Basic Function:
A splitter is a piece of dielectric shaped in such a way as to conduct an EV emission (cluster) normally, and split off a part of it into a separate channel. Splitting off of EV subunits from a single emission can happen to different degrees. A side-channel of only 1 micrometer may be used for a single EV bead, whereas 20 micrometers may be needed for a ring of 10-12 EV beads.

Core Behavior:
The device resembles the EV guide shown in figures 13 and 14, in which a narrow 45 degree groove between two plates of dielectric is used as a channel for EVs to propagate in. By introducing a channel at an obtuse angle, the EV bead/beads/cluster that is closest to the dielectric will prefer to stick to it and enter the side channel.

Apparently, single EV beads can be sectioned off in this way, by using channels with a width of at least 1 micrometer. A typical 2kV EV emission requires a channel of at least 20 micrometers wide, so to get a single EV bead from a 2kV EV emission, a side-channel of 1 micrometer wide in such a grooved guide could be used to separate off the desired single EV bead.

While the properties ascribed to this model are worth noting, it's hard to call it a device rather than an intersection. The thin, at-an-angle groove that intersects with another EV conducting groove provides a sort of "shaving" action to the cluster of EVs passing by it. This EV-splitting/shaving groove junction would be incorporated in a device which itself has a source and downstream purposes for the EVs to be regulated in the way that EV splitting requires.

Scale & Format:
The secondary channel is taken to be 20 micrometers in width, and on this the rest of the measurements are based. This results in a tiny device of only 0.1mm thick.

1.2. Components

Parts list:

• The secondary guide channel must be of an appropriate size to "shave off" only the desired amount of EVs.

Assembly Notes:

• The two mosaic tiles can be made by having a single beveled dielectric plate and "cutting" it in such a way that the cut-away material can act as the secondary guide channel. Viable separation techniques vary wildly depending on secondary channel width.
• The two mosaic tiles can be bonded onto the base plate using waterglass
• The dielectric base plate can get silver paste fired on the back for the counterelectrode.

Note: The assembly/manufacturing of this object at these dimensions is very high-end, based on descriptions in the patent. It's entirely possible that large shortcuts were taken, such as scribing and cleaving the tiles, where the resulting channel needs to be polished, and may still be rough and irregular after that. Remember that "undesired" interactions EVs may have with the surface perform a sort of liquefying, etch-like effect on the surface, thereby making a poor channel channel more viable over time.

2. Device materials and environment

2.1. Materials

All dielectrics given in the description of this object are Aluminum oxide, also known as Alumina. The only conductor described in the object is the fired-on silver paste for the counterelectrode.

2.2. Operating Conditions

Electrical:

• With its 45 degree groove, the guide is able to accomodate various EV sizes and thus EV emission strengths and voltages.
• If a secondary groove of 1 micrometer or slightly more is used, a single EV bead may be extracted from the EV emission. Environment:
• Similar 10^-3 Torr Xe conditions as other devices are assumed.

2.3. Operation notes

Though the device is meant to separate or shave off EVs from a passing EV, if the channel is wide enough it may guide the entire EV passing through the primary guide into the secondary channel. If the channel size is enough to ordinarily accommodate an EV of a particular size, the continued primary guide channel may still be a more attractive pathway for a portion of the EV cluster to follow, rather than the entire cluster entering the secondary guide channel.

If more than a single EV bead is desired to be split/shaved off of a larger EV cluster, i.e., a ~10 bead ring is desired, a 20 micrometer secondary channel would be needed to accommodate it, and an excessive EV cluster should travel through the primary channel for it to be split off of. If only one 12-bead EV ring travels through the primary guide channel at a time and comes across this split, it could very well split into two 6-membered rings instead of the desired 10-membered ring. Details on these dynamics are not yet clear.

3. Additional information

3.1. Additional information

The secondary guide channel must be of an appropriate size to "shave off" only the desired amount of EVs. This is not only a function of channel size, but also of dielectric strength of the plates, as well as the composition and strength of the vacuum.

Viable separation techniques vary wildly depending on secondary channel width, with the "1 micrometer for a single EV bead" being practically impossible cut mechanically. The 20 micrometer channel shown here could be cut using a 20 micrometer kerf diamond wafer dicing blade.

3.2. Attachments

• Splitter1.FCStd
• Splitter1_annotated.FCStd
• Splitter1.stl
• Images of model