Composite Metallic Nano Emitters Coated with a Layer of Insulator Covered by Au Layer

Abstract

Abstract: In this work, the differences in the behavior and properties of the emitted electron beam from tungsten (W) tips were studied before and after coating these tips with a thin layer of dielectric material followed by a thin layer of gold, to improve the emission current density, stability and emission current pattern concentration. The core of the composite cathode is made of high-purity tungsten (W). Measurements have been made with clean W emitters before and after coating these tips with two types of epoxy resins (epoxy 478 resins or epoxy UPR- 4 resins) followed by a thin layer of gold. For critical comparison, several tungsten tips with various apex-radii have been prepared using electrochemical etching techniques. The emitters have been coated by dielectric thin films of various thicknesses and the layer of Au used for coating the Epoxy layer has the same thicknesses. Their behavior has been recorded before and after the process of coating. These measurements include the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics and Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) plots. Imaging has also been done using a visible light microscope (VLM), along with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to help in characterizing the epoxy layer thickness on the tip surface after coating. Besides, the emission patterns have been recorded from the phosphorescent screen of a field electron emission microscope (FEM). Having two types of composite systems tested under similar conditions provided several advantages. These measurements helped in producing a new type of emitters that have more suitable features with each of the two resins. Keywords: Cold field emission, Nano emitter, Dielectric coating, Au layer.