Electron emitter

• US 20040104690A1
• Filed: 06/11/2003
• Published: 06/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Nanataki, Tsutomu, Takeuchi, Yukihisa, Ohwada, Iwao
• Granted Patent: US 6,975,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/169.4
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/30 Cold cathodes, e.g. field-emissive cathode
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/312 having an electric field perpendicular to the surface, e.g. tunnel-effect cathodes of metal-insulator-metal [MIM] type H01J1/304- H01J1/308 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/32 Secondary-electron-emitting electrodes H01J1/35 takes precedence

Abstract

An electron emitter has an emitter section having a plate shape, a cathode electrode formed on a front surface of the emitter section, and an anode electrode formed on a back surface of the emitter section. A drive voltage from a pulse generation source is applied between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode through a resistor. The anode electrode is connected to GND (ground) through another resistor. A collector electrode is provided above the cathode electrode, and the collector electrode is coated with a fluorescent layer. A bias voltage is applied to the collector electrode through another resistor.

Claims

1. An electron emitter comprising:

an emitter section made of a dielectric material;

a first electrode formed on a first surface of said emitter section;

a second electrode formed on a second surface of said emitter section, wherein

a drive voltage is applied between said first electrode and said second electrode to induce emission of electrons from at least a portion of said emitter section.

2. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein said drive voltage is applied between said first electrode and said second electrode such that said first electrode has a potential lower than a potential of said second electrode to reverse polarization of at least a portion of said emitter section;

and

the polarization reversal causes emission of electrons in the vicinity of said first electrode.

3. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein said drive voltage is applied between said first electrode and said second electrode to reverse polarization of at least a portion of said emitter section;

the polarization reversal causes positive poles of dipole moments in the vicinity of said first electrode to be oriented toward said first electrode, inducing emission of primary electrons from said first electrode; and

said emitted primary electrons impinge upon said emitter section to induce emission of secondary electrons from said emitter section.

4. An electron emitter according to claim 3, wherein said first electrode, said emitter section, and a vacuum atmosphere define a triple point;

and

primary electrons are emitted from a portion of said first electrode in the vicinity of said triple point, and said emitted primary electrons impinge upon said emitter section to induce emission of secondary electrons from said emitter section.

5. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein

said second electrode is formed on a substrate;

said emitter section is formed on said substrate to cover said second electrode; and

said first electrode is formed on said emitter section.

6. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein said emitter section is made of a piezoelectric material, an anti-ferroelectric material, or an electrostrictive material.

7. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein polarization reversal occurs in an electric field E applied to said emitter section represented by E=Vak/d, where d is a thickness of said emitter section between said first electrode and said second electrode, and Vak is a voltage applied between said first electrode and said second electrode.

8. An electron emitter according to claim 7, wherein said voltage Vak is less than a dielectric breakdown voltage of said emitter section.

9. An electron emitter according to claim 7, wherein the thickness d is determined so that the voltage Vak applied between said first electrode and said second electrode has an absolute value of less than 10V.

10. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein a third electrode is provided above said first electrode, and said third electrode is coated with a fluorescent layer.

11. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein at least said first electrode has a ring shape.

12. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein at least said first electrode has a comb teeth shape.

13. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein said first electrode has a thickness of 100 nm or less.

14. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein a protective film is formed on said emitter section to cover said first electrode.

15. An electron emitter according to claim 14, wherein said protective film has a thickness in the range of 1 nm to 20 nm.

16. An electron emitter according to claim 14, wherein said protective film is made of a conductor.

17. An electron emitter according to claim 16, wherein said conductor has a sputtering yield of 2.0 or less at 600 V in Ar⁺ and an evaporation temperature of 1800 K or higher at an evaporation pressure of 1.3×

10<sup>−

3</sup> Pa.

18. An electron emitter according to claim 14, wherein said protective film is an insulator film.

19. An electron emitter according to claim 14, wherein said protective film is a metal oxide film.

20. An electron emitter according to claim 14, wherein said protective film is made of ceramics, a piezoelectric material, an anti-ferroelectric material, or an electrostrictive material.

21. An electron emitter according to claim 1, wherein the change of the voltage applied between said first electrode and said second electrode at the time of electron emission is 20V or less.