Stable and high current density electron emission using coniferous carbon nano-structured emitter

• The emission properties of a coniferous carbon nano-structure (CCNS) based field emission electron gun have been measured.
• Stable, high-current-density electron emission (102 mA/cm2) was measured continuously for more than 1300 h.
• This result compares favorably to carbon nanotube (CNT) based emitters
• A wide range of potential applications are foreseen, such as high intensity X-ray sources.

The electron emission properties of a coniferous carbon nano-structure (CCNS) based field emission electron gun have been measured. The CCNS was grown on a stainless steel substrate using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and biased to about 50 kV. Stable, high-current-density electron emission (102 mA/cm2) was measured continuously for more than 1300 h. This result compares favorably to printed and directly grown carbon nanotube (CNT) based emitters. A wide range of potential applications are foreseen for CCNS based electron emitters, such as high intensity X-ray sources.