Reliability tests of gated silicon field emitters for use in space

Journal article

Neutralizes are required to prevent spacecraft charging from satellite ion propulsion. This paper discusses the development of a gated silicon tip field emitter (FE) neutralizer, specified to deliver 6 mA, with each tip emitting a mean current of 7 nA. It is important to investigate factors affecting the lifetime of field emitter arrays for a space application, as longevity and reliability are both critical requirements. Semi-automated procedures to prepare 400 arrays, each consisting of 765 ...

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Authors: Aplin, K; Collingwood, C; Kent, B

• Journal: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 14
• Pages: 2009-2017
• Publication date: 2004-07-21
• DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/37/14/018
• EISSN: 1361-6463
• ISSN: 0022-3727
• Language: English