Patent ID: 7625601

Claim:
A method for metering thermally sensitive powdered or granular material onto a heated surface to vaporize such material, comprising: (a) providing a container with powdered or granular material having at least one component; (b) providing a feeding location and a perforated member at the feeding location that is in proximity to but not touching the heated surface; (c) providing a thermally conductive path from the perforated member at the feeding location to a heat sink; (d) providing an auger enclosure and a rotatable auger, whose terminus is at the feeding location, disposed in material receiving relationship with the container for receiving powdered or granular material, and as the rotatable auger rotates such rotating rotatable auger translates such powdered or granular material to the feeding location such that the thermally conductive path reduces thermal exposure of the material and thereby improves the material lifetime within the auger enclosure; (e) providing openings in the perforated member such that the pressure produced by the rotating auger at the feeding location causes the powdered or granular material to be forced through the openings onto the heated surface where the material is flash evaporated in a controllable manner.