Publisher Correction: Unveiling the Nottingham Inversion Instability during the thermo-field emission from refractory metal micro-protrusions

AbstractThe electron emission by micro-protrusions has been studied for over a century, but the complete explanation of the unstable behaviors and their origin remains an open issue. These systems often evolve towards vacuum breakdown, which makes experimental studies of instabilities very difficult. Modeling studies are therefore necessary. In our model, refractory metals have shown the most striking results for discontinuities or jumps recorded on the electron emitted current under high applied voltages. Herein, we provide evidence on the mechanisms responsible for the initiation of a thermal instability during the field emission from refractory metal micro-protrusions. A jump in the emission current at steady state is found beyond a threshold electric field, and it is correlated to a similar jump in temperature. These jumps are related to a transient runaway of the resistive heating that occurs after the Nottingham flux inversion. That causes the hottest region to move beneath the apex, and generates an emerging heat reflux towards the emitting surface. Two additional conditions are required to initiate the runaway. The emitter geometry must ensure a large emission area and the thermal conductivity must be high enough at high temperatures so that the heat reflux can significantly compete with the heat diffusion towards the thermostat. The whole phenomenon, that we propose to call the Nottingham Inversion Instability, can explain unexpected thermal failures and breakdowns observed with field emitters.

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Observation of Phase Contrast Images in STEM and CTEM Modes by Using 100 kV Field Emission Electron Gun

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100051967 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 390-391

Author(s):

Y. Harada ◽

T. Goto ◽

H. Koike ◽

T. Someya

Keyword(s):

Field Emission ◽

Phase Contrast ◽

Image Formation ◽

Fresnel Diffraction ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Electron Gun ◽

Scanning Microscopy ◽

Emission Electron ◽

Lattice Images

Since phase contrasts of STEM images, that is, Fresnel diffraction fringes or lattice images, manifest themselves in field emission scanning microscopy, the mechanism for image formation in the STEM mode has been investigated and compared with that in CTEM mode, resulting in the theory of reciprocity. It reveals that contrast in STEM images exhibits the same properties as contrast in CTEM images. However, it appears that the validity of the reciprocity theory, especially on the details of phase contrast, has not yet been fully proven by the experiments. In this work, we shall investigate the phase contrast images obtained in both the STEM and CTEM modes of a field emission microscope (100kV), and evaluate the validity of the reciprocity theory by comparing the experimental results.

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A New Image Processing Technique for STEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100052171 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 432-433

Author(s):

Yasushi Kokubo ◽

Hirotami Koike ◽

Teruo Someya

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Image Processing ◽

Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽

Elastic Scattering ◽

Field Emission ◽

Processing Technique ◽

Image Processing Technique ◽

Energy Analyzer ◽

Scanning Microscope ◽

Scanning Electron

One of the advantages of scanning electron microscopy is the capability for processing the image contrast, i.e., the image processing technique. Crewe et al were the first to apply this technique to a field emission scanning microscope and show images of individual atoms. They obtained a contrast which depended exclusively on the atomic numbers of specimen elements (Zcontrast), by displaying the images treated with the intensity ratio of elastically scattered to inelastically scattered electrons. The elastic scattering electrons were extracted by a solid detector and inelastic scattering electrons by an energy analyzer. We noted, however, that there is a possibility of the same contrast being obtained only by using an annular-type solid detector consisting of multiple concentric detector elements.

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Observation of Atom Rows in Thorium Pyromellitate Using a Field Emission STEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010007802x ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 80-81

Author(s):

H. Todokoro ◽

S. Nomura ◽

T. Komoda

Keyword(s):

Field Emission ◽

Amorphous Carbon ◽

Carbon Film ◽

Dark Field Image ◽

Dark Field ◽

Amorphous Carbon Film ◽

Atomic Size ◽

Wide Range ◽

A Chain

It is interesting to observe polymers at atomic size resolution. Some works have been reported for thorium pyromellitate by using a STEM (1), or a CTEM (2,3). The results showed that this polymer forms a chain in which thorium atoms are arranged. However, the distance between adjacent thorium atoms varies over a wide range (0.4-1.3nm) according to the different authors.The present authors have also observed thorium pyromellitate specimens by means of a field emission STEM, described in reference 4. The specimen was prepared by placing a drop of thorium pyromellitate in 10-3 CH3OH solution onto an amorphous carbon film about 2nm thick. The dark field image is shown in Fig. 1A. Thorium atoms are clearly observed as regular atom rows having a spacing of 0.85nm. This lattice gradually deteriorated by successive observations. The image changed to granular structures, as shown in Fig. 1B, which was taken after four scanning frames.

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A Stable Field Emission Electron Source

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100077918 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 58-59

Author(s):

W.R. Bottoms ◽

G.B. Haydon

Keyword(s):

Field Emission ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

High Brightness ◽

Electron Sources ◽

Brightness Field ◽

Current Densities ◽

Properties Of Materials ◽

Stable Field ◽

Stable Current ◽

Careful Design

There is great interest in improving the brightness of electron sources and therefore the ability of electron optical instrumentation to probe the properties of materials. Extensive work by Dr. Crew and others has provided extremely high brightness sources for certain kinds of analytical problems but which pose serious difficulties in other problems. These sources cannot survive in conventional system vacuums. If one wishes to gather information from the other signal channels activated by electron beam bombardment it is necessary to provide sufficient current to allow an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio. It is possible through careful design to provide a high brightness field emission source which has the capability of providing high currents as well as high current densities to a specimen. In this paper we describe an electrode to provide long-lived stable current in field emission sources.The source geometry was based upon the results of extensive computer modeling. The design attempted to maximize the total current available at a specimen.

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Field Emission SEM Equipped With Noise Compensator

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100071958 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 302-303

Author(s):

S. Saito ◽

H. Todokoro ◽

S. Nomura ◽

T. Komoda

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

High Resolution ◽

Scanning Electron Microscope ◽

Field Emission ◽

Low Contrast ◽

Probe Current ◽

High Resolution Images ◽

Scanning Electron

Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) features extremely high resolution images, and offers many valuable information. But, for a specimen which gives low contrast images, lateral stripes appear in images. These stripes are resulted from signal fluctuations caused by probe current noises. In order to obtain good images without stripes, the fluctuations should be less than 1%, especially for low contrast images. For this purpose, the authors realized a noise compensator, and applied this to the FESEM.Fig. 1 shows an outline of FESEM equipped with a noise compensator. Two apertures are provided gust under the field emission gun.

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A Field Emission System For Transmission Electron Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100071934 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 298-299

Author(s):

Michel Troyonal ◽

Huei Pei Kuoal ◽

Benjamin M. Siegelal

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscope ◽

Field Emission ◽

Optical System ◽

High Vacuum ◽

Ultra High Vacuum ◽

Objective Lens ◽

Electron Optical System ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Emission System

A field emission system for our experimental ultra high vacuum electron microscope has been designed, constructed and tested. The electron optical system is based on the prototype whose performance has already been reported. A cross-sectional schematic illustrating the field emission source, preaccelerator lens and accelerator is given in Fig. 1. This field emission system is designed to be used with an electron microscope operated at 100-150kV in the conventional transmission mode. The electron optical system used to control the imaging of the field emission beam on the specimen consists of a weak condenser lens and the pre-field of a strong objective lens. The pre-accelerator lens is an einzel lens and is operated together with the accelerator in the constant angular magnification mode (CAM).

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Development of a conical anode Fe-gun for low voltage SEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100106958 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 978-979

Author(s):

T. Miyokawa ◽

S. Norioka ◽

S. Goto

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Field Emission ◽

Low Voltage ◽

Irradiation Damage ◽

Cold Cathode ◽

Virtual Source ◽

Source Position ◽

Electrostatic Lens ◽

Electrostatic Lenses ◽

Wide Range

Field emission SEMs (FE-SEMs) are becoming popular due to their high resolution needs. In the field of semiconductor product, it is demanded to use the low accelerating voltage FE-SEM to avoid the electron irradiation damage and the electron charging up on samples. However the accelerating voltage of usual SEM with FE-gun is limited until 1 kV, which is not enough small for the present demands, because the virtual source goes far from the tip in lower accelerating voltages. This virtual source position depends on the shape of the electrostatic lens. So, we investigated several types of electrostatic lenses to be applicable to the lower accelerating voltage. In the result, it is found a field emission gun with a conical anode is effectively applied for a wide range of low accelerating voltages.A field emission gun usually consists of a field emission tip (cold cathode) and the Butler type electrostatic lens.

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