Title :
High-current field emission electron source using a reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) cathode
Author :
Carpenter, Arthur C. ; Hunt, Charles E.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Univ. of California, Davis, CA, USA
Abstract :
A high current density field emission source with high brightness could have many applications in science, medicine and engineering. High field emission current densities have been demonstrated from a large-area, Ar-ion irradiated, reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) cathode, in a triode configuration. The RVC cathode contains many small nanowires, <50nm in diameter, that serve as excellent field emission tips. The field modification generated by a voltage applied to a grid electrode placed around the cathode increases emission at a given cathode potential. This triode configuration is robust and inexpensive.
Keywords :
cathodes; current density; electron field emission; ion beam effects; nanowires; triodes; vacuum microelectronics; Ar-ion irradiated; brightness; current densities; field emission electron source; grid electrode; nanowires; reticulated vitreous carbon cathode; triode configuration; Brightness; Carbon dioxide; Cathodes; Current density; Electrodes; Electron sources; Mesh generation; Nanowires; Robustness; Voltage;
Conference_Titel :
Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference, 2009. IVNC 2009. 22nd International
Conference_Location :
Shizuoka
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3587-6
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-3588-3
DOI :
10.1109/IVNC.2009.5271681
