High resolution structuring of emitter tips for the gaseous field ionization source

Abstract

Extraction of a stable, high brightness ion beam from an apertured field ion emitter surface requires microfabrication procedures to sculpture the surface topography on both microscopic (100 –1000 nm) and near atomic (10 –100 nm) length scales. Structuring on a near atomic scale is required to confine and stabilize the ion beam by local enhancement of the surface electrostatic field and to orient that emission on the optical axis. Control of the emitter contour on a microscopic scale is required for manipulating the supply of neutral molecules to the ionization site and also affects beam stability. We have developed a method using ion milling for configuring surface contour on microscopic and near atomic length scales which utilizes the morphological changes occurring at ion bombarded surfaces as a result of erosion by sputtering. A SEM study of the microscopic emitter topographical development is compared to computer simulations of the kinematical wave equation which depicts the erosion process. In this way, prediction of configuration on a length scale large compared to the ion penetration depth has been established. TEM observations show the surface development on the length scale of ion penetration depth. Preliminary results using this microfabricated emitter in a gaseous field ion source to produce a hydrogen ion beam with high angular beam confinement are given. Requirements for surface topography that are essential to obtain stable high brightness ion beams are discussed.