Beam profile of gated field emitters

Vacuum microelectronics is an emerging technology which relies heavily on solid state microfabrication techniques and the phenomenon of field emission. A whole new class of high frequency devices may become available by combining state-of-the-art fabrication techniques with the superiority of vacuum as a transport medium for electrons. An experiment has been designed to enhance understanding of stable operation of single tips as well as multiple arrays of field emitters and to provide correlation with theory and simulation. The quality of performance of an electron gun has two major factors: energy distribution, and the intensity of the electron beam. The energy distribution is to be measured by manipulating a microfabricated detector within an UHV environment. The detector is in the form of a Faraday cup with multiple apertures. The location of the detector is determined via laser interferometry.