Field emitter array cathodes for high current density, high current applications

Summary form only given. Microfabricated field emitter array (FEA) cathodes have demonstrated the potential to provide kA/cm² current densities with long lifetimes in continuous or repetitively pulsed modes of operation. However, FEA cathodes have historically not achieved their full potential due to imperfect spatial uniformity of emission. We are addressing this issue with an in situ cathode processing technique that has been shown to both clean emitter tips and dramatically improve the spatial uniformity of emission. We believe that with continued process development, these arrays can a achieve total emission current of 1 A at current densities exceeding 100 A/cm². This talk summarizes the results of our cathode processing studies and discusses possible avenues of future research to enhance FEA performance.