Brightness of electron beam from a small carbon nanotube emitter fabricated using the probe contact method

Abstract

A novel method for fabricating a small-sized carbon nanotube (CNT) emitter was developed. The emitter was fabricated by contacting the tungsten probe covered with CNT paste to the surface of Kovar rod, and then the brightness of electron beam generated from the CNT paste emitter was measured. We obtained the virtual source size of 1.13 × 10^-10 m² and the brightness of 1.2 × 10⁷ A m^-2sr^-1 at an applied voltage of 3,100 V.