Ultrafast miniaturized pulsed electron gun for timeresolved surface measurements

Abstract

We report the development of an ultrafast miniaturized pulsed electron gun for the implementation of timeresolved low-energy electron diffraction. This electron gun consists of a nanotip photocathode and an einzel lens for beam collimation. Assembly and electrical contacting of the gun is achieved in a multistep process involving photolithography and focused-ion-beam etching. First applications in a backscattering geometry were demonstrated with a temporal resolution of 1 ps at an electron energy of 80 eV.