Investigation of field-emitted electron beam behaviors using a line collector in a triode electron gun system

Abstract

The performance of a field-emission scanning electron microscope (SEM) is primarily dependent on the characteristics of the electron source. Field-emission electron sources provide a high current density, which can be used to produce a beam that can be focused through an electrostatic lens. Using a single 〈1 1 1〉 crystalline tungsten tip, we fabricated and tested a field emitter having a 91 nm radius and a stability under 14%. In this electron source, two electrostatic lenses consisting of 1st and 2nd anodes were designed and implemented and their performance dependence on variations in electrode shape, position, and applied voltage was investigated using a first-order finite-element method simulation. We also developed a line collector capable of measuring beam distribution and quantifying shifts in the electrical optical axis to characterize the behavior of a field-emitted electron beam as focused by an electrostatic optical system.