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Article: Getters finding MEMS uses. (microelectromechanical systems)
- Article from:
- R & D
- Article date:
- July 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Advantage Business Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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R&D applications for getter materials are on the increase, as are uses in industrial processes. One reason is that getters offer very high pumping speeds for reactive gases such as [H.sub.2], [H.sub.2]O, CO, C[O.sub.2], [N.sub.2], and [O.sub.2], thereby complementing the capabilities of conventional vacuum pumping technologies.
The word "getter" can be traced back to Edison's day, to one of his assistants, who conceived of using a coating of red phosphorus inside a light bulb to remove water vapor, thereby lengthening the bulb's lifetime.
Gettering involves the removal of atoms and molecules from the gas phase by chemical reactions on an active surface. ...