DIAMOND ELECTRON SOURCE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF

摘要

A diamond electron source in which a single sharpened tip is formed at one end of a pillar-shaped diamond monocrystal of a size for which resist application is difficult in a microfabrication process, as an electron emission point used in an electron microscope or other electron beam device, and a method for manufacturing the diamond electron source. One end of a pillar-shaped diamond monocrystal 10 is ground to form a smooth flat surface 11, and a ceramic layer 12 is formed on the smooth flat surface 11. A thin-film layer 14 having a prescribed shape is deposited on the ceramic layer 12 using a focused ion beam device, after which the ceramic layer 12 is patterned by etching using the thin-film layer 14 as a mask. A single sharpened tip is formed at one end of the pillar-shaped diamond monocrystal 10 by dry etching using the resultant ceramic mask.