The Electron Gun

The device which provides the electron

beam is the called the gun
This is the single most important component
of the SEM because it determines the level
of performance that can be achieved
Electrons can be produced in several
different ways ....
 Electron Sources

W hairpin - 50m
diameter
LaB6 - 5m
Thermal FEG - 250
Cold FEG - 50
Nano-FEG - 5
 Electron guns
We want many electrons
per time unit per area (high
current density) and as
small electron spot as
possible
Traditional guns: thermionic
electron gun (electrons are
emitted when a solid is
heated)
W-wire, LaB6-crystal
Modern: field emission guns
(FEG) (cold guns, a strong
electric field is used to
extract electrons)
Single crystal of W,MENA3100
etched to
 Electron guns
With field emission guns we get a smaller
spot and higher current densities
compared to thermionic guns
Vacuum requirements are tougher for a
field emission guns

Single crystal of LaB6 Tungsten wire Field emission tip

MENA3100
Nano tips - atom sized FEG
Nano-tips are field emitters
in which the effective size of
the tip has shrunk to a Etched
single atom. tungsten
They can be made by tip
processing normal tungsten
FE tips or from Pt-Ir, or from
carbon nanotubes
They have exciting
properties and may be part Cut Pt-
of upcoming SEMS but now Ir tip
they are still only a
laboratory curiosity
Comparing emitters

The various types of electron emitters can be

compared by looking at three parameters -
brightness, source size, energy spread
Other quantities are also important - e.g
vacuum required, lifetime, cost, expected
mode of use of SEM
Source Size
is the apparent
size of the disc from
which the electrons
come The physical size of the tip is
Small is good - for not necessarily the same as the
source size
high resolution SEM
less demagnification
Big is sometimes
good - e.g. for large
probe sizes and
high beam currents
Energy Spread
Electrons leave guns
with an energy
spread that depends
on the cathode type W hairpin 2.5eV

colder
Lens focus varies LaB6 1.0eV
with energy
(chromatic Schottky 0.75eV
aberration) so Cold FEG 0.35eV
energy spread spoils
high resolution, and
low energy, images
Summary of Electron Guns
The cold FEG offers the best performance parameters in all three
categories for most purposes
FEGs are best for high resolution, and low voltage operation
Thermionic emitters have advantages when very high beam
currents and large spot sizes are required.
Sharpness, Contrast, Depth of
Field

These are dependent upon the three major

electron-beam parameters:
Electron Probe Size dp
Electron Probe Current ip
Electron Probe convergence angle p
ip p

dp
Beam Performance

For the highest resolution beam diameter , d p ,

must be as small as possible
For the best image quality and x-ray analysis,
emission current, i p, must be as large as possible
For the best depth of field convergence angle, a p,
must be as small as possible
When d p and a p are made small, i p is also
reduced
Gun behavior

The tip must be atomically clean to

perform properly as a field emitter
Even at 10-7 torr a monolayer of gas forms
in just 1 sec so the tip must be cleaned
periodically
It is cleaned by flashing - heating the tip
to white heat for a few seconds. This
burns off (desorbs) the gas
Flashing

The flash condition is set up at the factory

Each tip should show a consistent emission
current when it is flashed
Compare the tip current with its own usual
value not with that from other tips
Excessive flashing may blunt the tip
Gas production
The tip gets dirty...
Gas molecules are
desorbed from 1st
anode by electrons
Some of these stick
on the tip making it
less sharp
This causes the
emission current to
fall over time
The life cycle of an FEG tip
Hidden benefits of FEGSEM

Reliability and reproducibility - no need to

change tips or break vacuum. Control by
computer ensures reset table values
Ease of use - one button operation,
memory alignment settings
Longevity - with reasonable care time
between tip changes 3-5 years (even with
students operating)
What isnt good?
The range of beam
currents available
is limited when
compared to that
from a thermionic
emitter so an FEG
is not ideally suited
to such tasks as
WDS where high
currents are
needed
 Examples-Question 1
The electron gun in a television tube is used
to accelerate electrons (mass of 9.1
1031 kg and charge of 1.6 1019 C)
from rest to 3 107 m/s within a distance of
7.9 cm.
What electric field is required? Answer in
units of N/C.
 Examples-Answer 1
E = 0

F s + m V = 0

q E s + m V = 0

(-1.6x10-19) E (7.9x10-2) + (9.11x10-31) (3x107) =

0

E = 32432.75 N/C