Micro structured liquid metal electron and ion sources (milmes/milmis)

Ion or electron beams can be emitted from liquid metal wetted needles, or from capillaries or slits into which the liquid metal is allowed to flow. Large-area liquid metal field emission sources have been proposed recently, using either two-dimensional, regular arrays of cones or capillaries, or even a substrate with an intrinsically micro structured surface covered by a liquid metal film. This latter concept has been realized in a pilot experiment by in situ wicking and wetting of a porous sintered metal disc. Microstructured liquid metal ion or electron sources are capable to operate in a pulsed mode at a current level which is orders of magnitude above that for steady-state operation.