Patent ID: 8686375

Claim:
A detector for detecting molecules, said detector comprising: a semiconductor membrane having an external surface for receiving said molecules, and an internal surface positioned opposite to said external surface, wherein said semiconductor membrane has a thickness of 5 nanometers to 50 microns; an electron emitting layer comprising a material selected from the group consisting of metals, doped semiconductors and doped diamond materials provided on the internal surface of said semiconductor membrane, wherein said emitting layer is a single continuous layer provided on the internal surface of said semiconductor membrane and has a thickness of 5 nanometers to 10 microns, wherein the semiconductor membrane and emitting layer combine to provide a uniform combined thickness that does not vary by more than 20% over an active area of the detector, and wherein said emitting layer emits electrons when said semiconductor membrane receives said molecules; and an electron detector positioned to detect at least a portion of said emitted electrons.