US 11,993,402 B2
Ion propulsion device
Jacques Gierak, Le Plessis-Pate (FR); Claude Boniface, Nailloux (FR); and Mathieu Lepesant, Valdalliere (FR)
Assigned to CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, Paris (FR); CENTRE NATIONAL D'ETUDES SPATIALES, Paris (FR); and UNIVERSITE PARIS-SACLAY, Gif-sur-Yvette (FR)
Appl. No. 17/762,303
Filed by CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, Paris (FR); CENTRE NATIONAL D'ETUDES SPATIALES, Paris (FR); and UNIVERSITE PARIS-SACLAY, Gif-sur-Yvette (FR)
PCT Filed Sep. 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/076418
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 21, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/063750, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1910805 (FR), filed on Sep. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0348361 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B64G 1/40 (2006.01); H01J 27/26 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/405 (2013.01) [H01J 27/26 (2013.01); H01J 2237/0802 (2013.01); H01J 2237/317 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ion propulsion device, the device comprising:
a plurality of emission modules arranged in an emission plane of the device, each said emission module comprising an insulating support, an emission electrode arranged on the insulating support, and a tank of conductive liquid with a microfluidic channel arranged to deposit conductive liquid on the emission electrode;
an extraction electrode common to the plurality of emission modules and arranged opposite the plurality of emission modules; and
at least one control unit;
wherein:
each said emission module is configured to emit an ion beam when an electric field is applied to the conductive liquid;
the at least one control unit is configured to control an emission current of the ions emitted by application of a potential difference between at least one emission electrode of the plurality of emission electrodes and the extraction electrode;
the emission electrodes of the plurality of emission modules are spaced apart from one another by a linear distance lgreater than a breakdown distance between two adjacent emission electrodes separated by an empty space, the linear distance | being less than the propagation distance of an electric leakage current by hopping conduction along the insulating support between the emission electrodes; and
a length L of an insulating support between the emission electrodes is greater than a propagation distance of an electric leakage current by hopping conduction along the insulating support between the emission electrodes, the linear distance l and the length L of the insulating support being chosen so as to | maximize the number of the plurality of emission modules in the emission plane.