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Ultrabright and monochromatic nanowire electron sources

  • Electron-Emission Materials
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Abstract

The resolution of the electron microscope is now largely limited by the performance of its electron source when various aberrations in the electron imaging system, especially spherical aberrations, are corrected. A nanowire tip could be an ideal point electron source, where electrons are emitted from a small physical area. In this article, we review recent advances in electric-field-induced electron emission using a single nanowire, specifically, single-crystalline lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) nanowire, compared to the state-of-the-art contemporary tungsten cold-field electron emitter W(310) as well as single atom tip and single-carbon nanotube emitters. Owing to its low work function, improved emission stability, and high emission brightness, the LaB6 nanowire as a cold-field-emission electron source offers a new and exciting opportunity for developing the next generation of electron microscopes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the Japan Science and Technology Corporation and the Nanotechnology Network Project of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology for financial support as well as the Hitachi High-Technology Corporation for their cooperation in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Low-Dimensional Materials Laboratory, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan

    Han Zhang, Jie Tang & Jinshi Yuan

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA

    Lu-Chang Qin

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  1. Han Zhang
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  2. Jie Tang
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Correspondence to Han Zhang.

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Zhang, H., Tang, J., Yuan, J. et al. Ultrabright and monochromatic nanowire electron sources. MRS Bulletin 42, 511–517 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2017.144

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