INEXPENSIVE LOW MAINTENANCE LONG LIFE VACUUM PUMPING SYSTEM FOR HAND-HELD MASS SPECTROMETERS

Currently, DHS and other government agencies such as DOD and EPA have a pressing need for inexpensive, robust, long operation life hand-held mass spectrometers (MS) to be deployed in custom ports, battlefields, and remote monitoring sites. Although miniaturization of various MS has progressed significantly, reliable and convenient hand-held MS is still unavailable, mainly because of the lack of reliable and long battery life miniature high vacuum (HV) pumping systems. Ultool proposes a novel miniature HV pumping solution for hand-held MS that is reliable, inexpensive, and power saving. It is anticipated that the success of this SBIR project will enable low rate initial production of hand-held MS for DHS and other agencies. Furthermore, the proposed technology can find broader applications in clinical tests and food inspections.