Title :
Single-crystal zirconium carbide as a high-temperature thermionic cathode material
Author :
Mackie, William A. ; Davis, Paul R.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Linfield Coll., McMinnville, OR, USA
Abstract :
Experiments to determine the feasibility of using transition metal carbides as stable thermionic cathodes at temperatures exceeding 2000 K are discussed. The primary emphasis here is electron emission and thermal stability properties of single crystals of ZrC. To obtain accurate emission versus temperature data, the spectral emissivity at 0.65 mu m of single-crystal ZrC specimens was measured in the temperature range 1200\n\n\t\t
Keywords :
crystals; materials testing; thermionic cathodes; thermionic emission; zirconium compounds; 1200 to 2500 K; 3.2 to 3.4 eV; 650 nm; ZrC; cathode materials; crystal faces; crystalline orientation; electron emission; emission versus temperature; feasibility study; figure of merit; high current densities; high-temperature thermionic cathode material; single crystals; spectral emissivity; stable thermionic cathodes; temperature dependence; temperature range; thermal stability properties; thermionic work function data; transition metal carbides; volatility measurements; Cathodes; Crystalline materials; Crystallization; Electron emission; Measurement uncertainty; Temperature dependence; Temperature distribution; Temperature measurement; Thermal stability; Zirconium;
Journal_Title :
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
