Miniaturized liquid metal ion source (MILMIS)

Introductory remarks are presented on liquid metal ion sources (LMISs), and basic features are outlined. A special by-product of field-emission electric space propulsion by a liquid metal ion thruster, is the slit emitter, which may be qualified as a semiminiaturized LMIS. The state-of-the-art technology of field emitter arrays common in vacuum microelectronics is applied to the fabrication of miniaturized integrated LMISs (MILMISs). The possibility of operation of these devices even in the field emission mode as miniaturized liquid metal electron sources (MILMESs) is discussed. An overview is given on prospective applications of MILMIS and MILMES including micromachining and microelectronic device technology, e.g., focused ion beam techniques, space technology, and pulsed power technology