EAGER

The electron beam source market is rapidly growing with an annual growth rate of 21%. Electron beams are used in applications ranging from the space industry to the healthcare and food sectors. The proposed robust and chip-scale electron source along with the proposed new applications will enable new applications and products”. The proposed exploratory project is related to the development of pyroelectrically generated electron sources for chip-scale applications. The exploration of this novel miniature chip-scale device has a wide range of applications in semiconductor industries (vacuum systems) and residual gas sensing applications. The results from this project can lead to several other product developments such as electron beam-assisted multi-gas sensing platforms, chip scale quantum sensors/clocks, and cathode luminescence-based ultraviolet (UV) emission for applications in disinfection, water purification and ionization sources for mass spectrometers, etc. Two teams (INL and UT Austin) have acquired relevant experience such as pyroelectric electron emission (temporary voltage and electron generation from the polarized surface during heating or cooling), working with gas ionization, microfabrication (including thin film optimization), and working with vacuum components and systems. During the project tenure, INL and UT Austin teams will have equal contributions with respect to the device design, development, and demonstration. INL and UT Austin cleanroom facility will be used to optimize the pyroelectric materials for electron emission. A custom vacuum and electronic components will be used to demonstrate the electron emission, vacuum measurement, and residual gas measurements.