Electron Beam Source Tip Coating for Brightness and Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electron beam sources face challenges in achieving high brightness and small energy spread, durability, and ease of manufacturing and handling, particularly due to the difficulty in measuring conductivity and elasticity of materials at the tip level.
Innovation Solution
The electron beam source features a tip with a core coated by a conductive material, where the core is made of a material with lower electrical conductivity and a higher modulus of elasticity, ensuring the tip's rigidity and maintaining the electric field distribution for efficient electron emission. The coating is applied directly or through a layer to improve adherence, and the tip is designed with a small radius and specific geometric properties to enhance electron beam generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the tip is made with a small radius to achieve high brightness and small energy spread, then electron beam quality is improved, but measuring conductivity and elasticity at the tip becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a coating of material (such as metal or conductive material) onto the tip surface, creating a copy or representation of the required functional properties on the tip. This coating allows the tip to achieve the necessary conductivity and elasticity characteristics without requiring direct measurement of the underlying core material at the nanoscale tip region.
2Reliability
If a coating is applied to improve conductivity at the tip, then electrical conductance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to multiple material layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies coating material selectively to specific regions of the tip rather than uniformly throughout the entire structure. The coating is applied to the tip surface where conductivity is needed for electron emission, while the core material can have different properties. This localized application improves conductivity where required without unnecessarily complicating the entire device structure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the core material has high elasticity modulus for rigidity, then tip stability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure consisting of a core material with high elasticity modulus (such as diamond-like carbon or ceramic materials) combined with a coating material. The core provides the necessary rigidity and stability to maintain tip geometry under electrical fields, while the coating layer can be optimized separately for conductivity and other surface properties. This composite approach allows independent optimization of each material's properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration results in a durable electron beam source capable of maintaining high electron emission intensity over long periods, with a favorable electric field distribution that supports high-brightness electron beams and improved handling and manufacturing ease.
Implementation Method 1
an electrode from which an electron beam may be extracted by exposing the electrode to an electrical potential
Implementation Method 2
The elastic modulus of an object is defined as the slope of its stress-strain curve in the elastic deformation region
Data Source
AI summary
An electron beam source includes a base and a tip fixed to the base and extending from the base. The tip includes a core and a coating applied to the core. The core has a surface that includes a first material. The coating includes a second material which is different from the first material. The second material forms a surface of the tip, and the second coating includes more than 30% by weight of a lanthanide element.