Study of dispenser cathode development for terahertz vacuum devices application

A Scandium oxide doped tungsten nano-powder for using in high current density thermionic cathode is believed to play a dominant role to improve emission capability. The nano-powder was prepared using sol-gel method by dissolving the blue tungsten and scandium nitrate into the solution. The result shows average particle diameter ~50 nm, uniform grain size, spherical morphology, uniform phase and homogeneous mixing Sc₂O₃ doped W nano-powder. Dispenser cathodes will be prepared using this powder and expected excellent emission current density more than 100 A/cm² which can be used for THz vacuum electron devices.