The Use of Boron Nitride for Improved Cold-Cathode Electron Field Emission Technology
Abstract
The emission characteristics of nanostructured boron nitride emitter arrays have been investigated for improved cold-cathode field emission technology. The performance has been evaluated in the presence of several gases (Air, water vapor, oxygen, and Xe) that are likely to be encountered in ion-propulsion applications in low-earth orbit. The emission performance is found to be insensitive to all gases and pressures tested except for oxygen where a 30% decrease in the emission yield is observed in the presence of oxygen but complete recovery is observed after exposure to ultrahigh vacuum. A slight enhancement is observed in the case of water vapor. A novel MEMS gate structure was designed and constructed for use with field emission arrays. The performance of the MEMS gate will be evaluated in the next phase of the research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 30, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA426331
Entities
People
- Brian Gilchrist
- Hannah Goldberg
- Jon Van Noord
- Pedro A. Encarnacion
- Roy Clarke