Patent ID: 7448131

Claim:
A method of fabricating a gate for controlling charged particle motion, the method comprising: selecting a gate spacing for wires of said gate; providing a first template surface having a first set of parallel grooves separated by twice said gate spacing and having a first set of wire insertion features in one to one correspondence with said first set of parallel grooves, wherein adjacent members of said first set of wire insertion features are spaced apart by a distance substantially greater than twice said gate spacing; disposing a first set of wire segments in said first set of grooves by inserting said first set of wire segments into said first set of wire insertion features; providing a second template surface having a second set of parallel grooves separated by twice said gate spacing and having a second set of wire insertion features in one to one correspondence with said second set of parallel grooves, wherein adjacent members of said second set of wire insertion features are spaced apart by a distance substantially greater than twice said gate spacing; disposing a second set of wire segments in said second set of grooves by inserting said second set of wire segments into said second set of wire insertion features; attaching said first and second sets of wire segments to a frame such that wire segments from said first and second sets of wire segments are co-planar, parallel, and alternating between said first and second sets of wire segments; making a first electrical connection such that all of said first set of wire segments are in electrical contact; and making a second electrical connection such that all of said second set of wire segments are in electrical contact, and such that said first set of wire segments and said second set of wire segments are electrically isolated from each other.