Electron source comprising emissive cathodes with microtips.

摘要

The electron source includes a number of conductor elements (3a) inserted in network of cathode conductors (3). Each element consists of a slab placed under a resistive layer (9) and in contact with a silica layer (6). A group of microtips (19), corresponding to a cell in the network, is placed on top of this structure. The slabs are obtained during the photolithography operation which generates the cathode conductors and using the same mask and metallic layer. The use of the slabs generates the same electrical resistivity (r3+r4) under each microtip this resulting in a uniform emission of electrons.