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: Figures 36-38
Text: FROM Column 33 Line 11 UNTIL Column 36 Line 28

1.1. Purpose

Basic Function:
Deflection switches are one way of changing the course of travel for an EV. Circuits can be attached to the pickup electrodes and deflector electrodes, which can be made to cause EVs passing through the left or the right output channels to bias the deflector electrodes in a way that encourages subsequent EVs to go in the same direction, or to switch direction.

Core Behavior:
The device starts with a normal guide element which terminates its guide channel walls and guide counterelectrode gradually, releasing the EV into the deflector transition region where it is bound to the dielectric with no strong bias towards either side. By imparting a negative voltage on either of the two deflector electrodes the EV can be biased towards that side of the deflector, continuing into that guide channel.

Example feedback electrodes 412 and 414 are given, where the signal of a passing EV can be fed into a circuit properly tuned to the EV transit frequency to bias subsequent EVs' passage. For example, an EV passing through the left channel may bias the left feedback electrode, which biases the left deflection electrode, encouraging subsequent EVs to keep going through that one channel. Alternatively, the left feedback electrode's signal may be reversed, or be fed to the right electrode, encouraging the subsequent EV to pass through the right channel instead.

Scale & Format:
A datum of 50 micrometers was given for the depth and width of the channels, from which the other measurements were inferred. The device is roughly 1.0 by 0.75 millimeters, and 0.125 millimeters tall.

1.2. Components

Diagram(s):

Parts list:

ID	Name	Material
390	Deflector	-
392	base dielectric	Fused silica
394	Input channel	-
396	Left output channel	-
398	Right output channel	-
400	Deflector transition region	-
402	Guide counterelectrode	Conductive metal
404	Left channel counterelectrode	Conductive metal
406	Right channel counterelectrode	Conductive metal
408	Left channel deflector electrode	Conductive metal
410	Right channel deflector electrode	Conductive metal
412	Left side feedback electrode	Conductive metal
413	Left Coupling Circuit	-
414	Right side feedback electrode	Conductive metal
415	Right Coupling circuit	-
416	Side walls	-
418	Deflector main channel counterelectrode tip	-
420	Deflector output separation tile	Fused silica
Assembly Notes:
Given that none of the conductive metal elements are involved in direct interactions with the EV, combined with the scale and intricacy of the object, the choice of metal is best left to the manufacturing method's limitations.
In this case, the object would be constructed lithographically.
The fused silica may be etched to form the channels and the deflector transition region, and for the input guide channel the usual tapered edges resulting from etching may be intentionally exaggerated to create a channel output where the EV does not have a clear path preference.
It is mentioned that the electrodes may be deposited using vacuum evaporation or sputtering methods.

2. Device materials and environment

2.1. Materials

For the entire main body, Fused Silica is used as a dielectric. The material used for the counterelectrodes is not mentioned. It is also not directly emitting or being impacted by EVs.

Although not elaborated on with specifics, it can be assumed that the fused silica will need a conductive dopant or a surface charge dissipation layer to prevent the charge of EVs to continually build up. A continuous buildup of charge may charge the desired path to the point where the applied bias on the electrodes becomes nullified.

2.2. Operating Conditions

Electrical:

Manually controlled, a small bias voltage of tens of volts between the two deflector electrodes may be enough to reliably steer the EV in the desired direction.
If feedback electrodes are used, the circuitry they couple to to influence the deflector electrodes must be tuned to operate at high speeds, capable of presenting the desired feedback output on the relevant deflector electrode before the arrival of the next EV.

Environment: The environment is expected to be a similar low-pressure xenon environment as other EV components.

3. Additional information

3.1. Additional information

Given the use of electric fields to steer the direction of the EV, the lack of information on the doping of the dielectric leaves important questions unanswered. At the end of the section, another approach for deflector electrodes is mentioned, where they're not placed on the back of the fused silica but on the front, and covered with a "low resistance coating". Due to ambiguity this is left out of the main description. The significance of the buildup of charge is inferred from this section.

3.2. Attachments

Patent images
Side-view of deflector model
Deflector1.FCStd
Deflector1_annotated.FCStd
Deflector1.stl

Descrição