TY - JOUR

T1 - Characteristics of a Silicon Carbide Field Emission Array under Pre-Breakdown Conditions

AU - Морозов, Виктор Александрович

AU - Егоров, Николай Васильевич

AU - Трофимов, Василий Валерьевич

AU - Никифоров, Константин Аркадьевич

AU - Закиров, Ильдар Илюсович

AU - Кац, Виктор Михайлович

AU - Ильин, Владимир

AU - Иванов, Алексей

PY - 2024/9/27

Y1 - 2024/9/27

N2 - Abstract: This study assesses promising field electron sources based on silicon carbide monolithic field emission array (FEA). FEA is fabricated on single-crystal wafers of silicon carbide (0001C) 6H-SiC of n-type conductivity using the technology of two-stage reactive ion etching in SF6/O2/Ar atmosphere. To implement conditions close to breakdown, an experimental setup based on high-voltage narrow pulses generating device GKVI-300 was used. A series of nanosecond voltage pulses with amplitudes from 120 to 250 kV was generated. To study the characteristics of the FEA in the pre-breakdown state, the beam of field emitted electrons was separated from the ion torch or cathode plasma, formed in the following breakdown phases, by placing a 50-μm-thick titanium foil under zero potential into the interelectrode gap. Current-voltage characteristics of peak-currents vs. peak-voltages passing through the foil are close to rectilinear in the Fowler–Nordheim coordinates. The current-voltage characteristics plotted for each of the pulses along increasing and decreasing branches show a discrepancy (hysteresis). After the experiments, the silicon carbide cathode FEA was studied in a scanning electron microscope.

AB - Abstract: This study assesses promising field electron sources based on silicon carbide monolithic field emission array (FEA). FEA is fabricated on single-crystal wafers of silicon carbide (0001C) 6H-SiC of n-type conductivity using the technology of two-stage reactive ion etching in SF6/O2/Ar atmosphere. To implement conditions close to breakdown, an experimental setup based on high-voltage narrow pulses generating device GKVI-300 was used. A series of nanosecond voltage pulses with amplitudes from 120 to 250 kV was generated. To study the characteristics of the FEA in the pre-breakdown state, the beam of field emitted electrons was separated from the ion torch or cathode plasma, formed in the following breakdown phases, by placing a 50-μm-thick titanium foil under zero potential into the interelectrode gap. Current-voltage characteristics of peak-currents vs. peak-voltages passing through the foil are close to rectilinear in the Fowler–Nordheim coordinates. The current-voltage characteristics plotted for each of the pulses along increasing and decreasing branches show a discrepancy (hysteresis). After the experiments, the silicon carbide cathode FEA was studied in a scanning electron microscope.

KW - field electron emission

KW - field emitter array

KW - high-voltage narrow pulses

KW - pre-breakdown

KW - silicon carbide

UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1063784224070314

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/f2c413f5-183d-31f5-9584-0f293cb1c8e2/

U2 - 10.1134/s1063784224070314

DO - 10.1134/s1063784224070314

M3 - Article

VL - 69

SP - 2059

EP - 2065

JO - Technical Physics

JF - Technical Physics

SN - 1063-7842

IS - 7

ER -