High-current, low-cost field emission triode using a reticulated vitreous carbon cathode

Carpenter, Arthur C.; Hunt, Charles E.

doi:doi:10.1116/1.3305455

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Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B / Volume 28 / Issue 2 / PAPERS FROM THE 22nd INTERNATIONAL VACUUM NANOELECTRONICS CONFERENCE / Fabrication

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J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 28, C2C37 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3305455 (4 pages)

High-current, low-cost field emission triode using a reticulated vitreous carbon cathode

Arthur C. Carpenter and Charles E. Hunt

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616

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(Published online 31 March 2010)

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A simple, macroscale field-emission triode was assembled using a single 3.8 mm diameter Ar⁺-ion irradiated reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) cathode. The irradiation process results in random carbon nanostructures on the surface of the RVC, providing effective, low-field emission sites. The use of RVC results in a self-ballasting cathode. The grid electrode further increases local field enhancement on the cathode surface, increasing the extracted current over what is produced in diode mode. The anode electric field required to produce 0.1 μA/cm² was measured to decrease from 0.9 to 0.65 V/μm with 300 V applied to the grid electrode. With 2.1 V/μm, and 300 V applied to the grid, the limits of our power supply were reached, and a current density of 16.0 mA/cm² and a current of 1.82 mA from a single cathode were measured. Semiconductorlike emission properties, showing three regions of operation, were observed. In region III the cathode emits from a large number of sites, producing a total beam that is readily focused to a small spot size with ordinary electron optics. This low-cost, robust configuration, machined without microfabrication processes or lithography, makes very-high total current in single field-emission triodes possible.

Article Outline

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
EXPERIMENT
RESULTS
CONCLUSION

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

carbon, cathodes, current density, electron field emission, ion beam effects, nanostructured materials, triodes

PACS

84.47.+w

Vacuum tubes
61.80.Jh

Ion radiation effects
61.82.Ms

Insulators
79.70.+q

Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption

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History

Received 21 September 2009
Accepted 11 January 2010
Published online 31 March 2010

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3305455

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1071-1023 (print)

1520-8567 (online)

Publisher

American Vacuum Society

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