Diamond-based electron emission:Structure,properties and mechanisms

Diamond has an ultrawide bandgap with excellent physical properties,such as high critical electric field,excellent thermal conductivity,high carrier mobility,etc.Diamond with a hydrogen-terminated(H-terminated)surface has a negative electron affinity(NEA)and can easily produce surface electrons from valence or trapped electrons via optical absorption,thermal heating energy or carrier transport in a PN junction.The NEA of the H-terminated surface enables surface electrons to emit with high efficiency into the vacuum without encountering additional barriers and promotes further development and application of diamond-based emitting devices.This article reviews the electron emission properties of H-terminated diamond surfaces exhibiting NEA characteristics.The electron emission is induced by different physical mechanisms.Recent advancements in electron-emitting devices based on diamond are also summarized.Finally,the current challenges and future development opportunities are discussed to further develop the relevant applications of diamond-based electronemitting devices.

Nonlinear change of ion-induced secondary electron emission in theκ-Al_(2)O_(3) surface charging from first-principle modelling

Secondary electron emission(SEE)induced by the positive ion is an essential physical process to influence the dynamics of gas discharge which relies on the specific surface material.Surface charging has a significant impact on the material properties,thereby affecting the SEE in the plasma-surface interactions.However,it does not attract enough attention in the previous studies.In this paper,SEE dependent on the charged surface of specific materials is described with the computational method combining a density functional theory(DFT)model from the first-principle theory and the theory of Auger neutralization.The effect ofκ-Al2O3 surface charge,as an example,on the ion-induced secondary electron emission coefficient(SEEC)is investigated by analyzing the defect energy level and band structure on the charged surface.Simulation results indicate that,with the surface charge from negative to positive,the SEEC of a part of low ionization energy ions(such as Ei=12.6 eV)increases first and then decreases,exhibiting a nonlinear changing trend.This is quite different from the monotonic decreasing tendency observed in the previous model which simplifies the electronic structure.This irregular increase of the SEEC can be attributed to the lower escaped probability of orbital energy.The results further illustrate that the excessive charge could cause the bottom of the conduction band close to the valence band,thus leading to the decrease of the orbital energy occupied by the excited electrons.The nonlinear change of SEEC demonstrates a more realistic situation of how the electronic structure of material surface influences the SEE process.This work provides an accurate method of calculating SEEC from specific materials,which is urgent in widespread physical scenarios sensitive to surface materials,such as increasingly growing practical applications concerning plasma-surface interactions.

Design of the electron cyclotron emission diagnostic on EXL-50 spherical torus

The electron cyclotron emission(ECE)diagnostic system has been developed on the ENN spherical torus(EXL-50).The ECE system is designed to detect radiation emitted by energetic electrons,rather than conventional 1D electron temperature profile measurement,in the frequency range of 4-40 GHz.The system is composed of five subsystems,each covering a different frequency band,including the C-band(4-8 GHz),X-band(8-12 GHz),Ku-band(12-18 GHz),K-band(18-26.5 GHz)and Kα-band(26.4-40 GHz).The system uses heterodyne detection to analyze the received signals.The K-band and Kα-band subsystems are located horizontally in the equatorial plane of the EXL-50,while the C-band,X-band and Ku-band subsystems are located under the vacuum vessel of the EXL-50.To direct the microwaves from the plasma to the antennas for the horizontal detection subsystems,a quasi-optical system has been developed.For the vertical detection subsystems,the antennas are directly attached to the port located beneath the torus at R=700 mm,which is also the magnetic axis of the torus.The system integration,bench testing and initial experimental results will be thoroughly discussed,providing a comprehensive understanding of the ECE system s performance and capabilities.

Investigating the occurrence and predictability of pitch angle scattering events at ADITYA-Upgrade tokamak with the electron cyclotron emission radiometer

This paper describes the experimental analysis and preliminary investigation of the predictability of pitch angle scattering(PAS) events through the electron cyclotron emission(ECE)radiometer signals at the ADITYA-Upgrade(ADITYA-U) tokamak. For low-density discharges at ADITYA-U, a sudden abnormal rise is observed in the ECE signature while other plasma parameters are unchanged. Investigations are done to understand this abrupt rise that is expected to occur due to PAS. The rise time is as fast as 100 μs with a single step and/or multiple step rise in ECE radiometer measurements. This event is known to limit the on-axis energy of runaway electrons. Being a repetitive event, the conditions of its repetitive occurrence can be investigated, thereby exploring the possibility of it being triggered and surveyed as an alternate runaway electron mitigation plan. Functional parameterization of such events with other discharge parameters is obtained and the possibility to trigger these events is discussed.PREDICT code is used to investigate the possible interpretations for the PAS occurrence through modeling and supporting the ECE observations. The trigger values so obtained experimentally are set as input criteria for PAS occurrence. Preliminary modeling investigations provide reliable consistency with the findings.

A refined Monte Carlo code for low-energy electron emission from gold material irradiated with sub-keV electrons

Considering the significance of low-energy electrons(LEEs;0–20 eV) in radiobiology, the sensitization potential of gold nanoparticles(AuNPs) as high-flux LEE emitters when irradiated with sub-keV electrons has been suggested. In this study, a track-structure Monte Carlo simulation code using the dielectric theory was developed to simulate the transport of electrons below 50 keV in gold. In this code, modifications, particularly for elastic scattering, are implemented for a more precise description of the LEE emission in secondary electron emission. This code was validated using the secondary electron yield and backscattering coefficient. To ensure dosimetry accuracy, we further verified the code for energy deposition calculations using the Monte Carlo toolkit, Geant4. The development of this code provides a basis for future studies regarding the role of AuNPs in targeted radionuclide radiotherapy.

Secondary electron emission and photoemission from a negative electron affinity semiconductor with large mean escape depth of excited electrons

The formulae for parameters of a negative electron affinity semiconductor(NEAS)with large mean escape depth of secondary electrons A(NEASLD)are deduced.The methods for obtaining parameters such asλ,B,E_(pom)and the maximumδandδat 100.0 keV≥E_(po)≥1.0 keV of a NEASLD with the deduced formulae are presented(B is the probability that an internal secondary electron escapes into the vacuum upon reaching the emission surface of the emitter,δis the secondary electron yield,E_(po)is the incident energy of primary electrons and E_(pom)is the E_(po)corresponding to the maximumδ).The parameters obtained here are analyzed,and it can be concluded that several parameters of NEASLDs obtained by the methods presented here agree with those obtained by other authors.The relation between the secondary electron emission and photoemission from a NEAS with large mean escape depth of excited electrons is investigated,and it is concluded that the presented method of obtaining A is more accurate than that of obtaining the corresponding parameter for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph)(λ_(ph)being the mean escape depth of photoelectrons),and that the presented method of calculating B at E_(po)>10.0 keV is more widely applicable for obtaining the corresponding parameters for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph).

Analysis of application range of simplified models for field to thermo-field to thermionic emission processes from the cathode

Electron emission plays a dominant role in plasma-cathode interactions and is a key factor in many plasma phenomena and industrial applications.It is necessary to illustrate the various electron emission mechanisms and the corresponding applicable description models to evaluate their impacts on discharge properties.In this study,detailed expressions of the simplified formulas valid for field emission to thermo-field emission to thermionic emission typically used in the numerical simulation are proposed,and the corresponding application ranges are determined in the framework of the Murphy-Good theory,which is commonly regarded as the general model and to be accurate in the full range of conditions of the validity of the theory.Dimensionless parameterization was used to evaluate the emission current density of the Murphy-Good formula,and a deviation factor was defined to obtain the application ranges for different work functions(2.5‒5 eV),cathode temperatures(300‒6000 K),and emitted electric fields(10^(5) to 10^(10) V·m^(-1)).The deviation factor was shown to be a nonmonotonic function of the three parameters.A comparative study of particle number densities in atmospheric gas discharge with a tungsten cathode was performed based on the one-dimensional implicit particle-in-cell(PIC)with the Monte Carlo collision(MCC)method according to the aforementioned application ranges.It was found that small differences in emission current density can lead to variations in the distributions of particle number density due to changes in the collisional environment.This study provides a theoretical basis for selecting emission models for subsequent numerical simulations.

Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging on the EAST Tokamak

An upgraded electron cyclotron emission imaging （ECEI） system consisting of new optics lenses with necessary electronics for receiving and processing signals for two dimension （2D） ECEI diagnostics was installed on EAST. Hyperboloid lens were adopted in the new system to optimize the spatial resolutions. The mixers array of sixteen elements measured the plasma electron cyclotron emission at eight frequencies simultaneously, and the profiles of the electron temperature and its fluctuation in an area of 20 cm （vertical） × 6 cm （horizontal） could then be analyzed. Evolution of sawtooth precursor and crash in EAST was observed.

Experimental Study of Electron Emission Characteristics of a Surface Flashover Trigger in a Low Pressure Environment

Characteristics of electron emission induced by a surface flashover trigger device in a low-pressure trigger switch were investigated. A test method to measure the emitted charges from the trigger device was developed, and the factors affecting the emitted charges were analyzed. The results indicated that the major emitted charges from the trigger device were induced by surface plasma generated by surface flashover occurring on the trigger dielectric material. The emitted charges and the peak emission current increased linearly with the change in the trigger voltage and bias voltage. The emitted charges collected from the anode were affected by the gap distance. However, the emitted charges were less affected by the anode diameter. Furthermore, the emitted charges and the peak emission current decreased rapidly with the increase in gas pressure in a range from 0 Pa to 100 Pa, and then remained stable or changed slightly when the increase in gas pressure up to 2400 Pa.

Impact of exterior electron emission on the self-sustaining margin of hollow cathode discharge

Hollow cathode researches used to focus on the inner cavity or downstream plume,however,rarely on the gap between the throttling orifice plate and the keeper plate(T-K gap),which was found to impact the self-sustaining margin of hollow cathode discharge in this paper.Near the lower margin,the main power deposition and electron emission and ionization regions would migrate from inner cavity and downstream plume to the T-K gap,in which case,the source and destination of each m A current therein matter for the self-sustaining capability.Changing the metal surfaces in the T-K gap with emissive materials proved effective in lowering the lower margin by supplementing auxiliary thermionic emission,compensating electron loss on cold absorbing walls and suppressing discharge oscillations.By doing so,the lower margin of a 4 A hollow cathode was lowered from 1 to 0.1-0.2 A,enabling it to couple with low power Hall thruster without extra keeper current.

Phase Transformation and Enhancing Electron Field Emission Properties in Microcrystalline Diamond Films Induced by Cu Ion Implantation and Rapid Annealing

Cu ion implantation and subsequent rapid annealing at 500℃ in N2 result in low surface resistivity of 1.611 ohm/sq with high mobility of 290 cm2 V-1S-1 for microcrystalline diamond （MCD） films. Its electrical field emission behavior can be turned on at Eo = 2.6 V/μm, attaining a current density of 19.5μA/cm2 at an applied field of 3.5 V/#m. Field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with Raman and x-ray photoelectron mi- croscopy reveal that the formation of Cu nanoparticles in MCD films can catalytically convert the less conducting disorder/a-C phases into graphitic phases and can provoke the formation of nanographite in the films, forming conduction channels for electron transportation.

Feedback model of secondary electron emission in DC gas discharge plasmas

Feedback is said to exist in any amplifier when the fraction of output power in fed back as an input.Similarly,in gaseous discharge ions that incident on the cathode act as a natural feedback element to stabilize and self sustain the discharge.The present investigation is intended to emphasize the feedback nature of ions that emits secondary electrons（SEs）from the cathode surface in DC gas discharges.The average number of SEs emitted per incident ion and non ionic species（energetic neutrals,metastables and photons）which results from ion is defined as effective secondary electronemission coefficient（ESEEC,Eg）.In this study,we derive an analytic expression that corroborates the relation betweenEg and power influx by ion to the cathode based on the feedback theory of an amplifier.In addition,experimentally,we confirmed the typical positive feedback nature of SEEfrom the cathode in argon DC glow discharges.The experiment is done for three different cathode material of same dimension（tungsten（W）,copper（Cu）and brass）under identical discharge conditions（pressure：0.45 mbar,cathode bias：-600 V,discharge gab：15 cm and operating gas：argon）.Further,we found that theEg value of these cathode material controls the amount of feedback power given by ions.The difference in feedback leads different final output i.e the power carried by ion at cathode（Pi C￠∣）.The experimentally obtained value of Pi C￠∣is 4.28 W,6.87 W and9.26 W respectively for W,Cu and brass.In addition,the present investigation reveals that the amount of feedback power in a DC gas discharges not only affect the fraction of power fed back to the cathode but also the entire characteristics of the discharge.

Characteristics of wall sheath and secondary electron emission under different electron temperatures in a Hall thruster

In this paper, a two-dimensional physical model is established in a Hall thruster sheath region to investigate the influences of the electron temperature and the propellant on the sheath potential drop and the secondary electron emission in the Hall thruster, by the particle-in-cell （PIC） method. The numerical results show that when the electron temperature is relatively low, the change of sheath potential drop is relatively large, the surface potential maintains a stable value and the stability of the sheath is good. When the electron temperature is relatively high, the surface potential maintains a persistent oscillation, and the stability of the sheath reduces. As the electron temperature increases, the secondary electron emission coefficient on the wall increases. For three kinds of propellants （At, Kr, and Xe）, as the ion mass increases the sheath potentials and the secondary electron emission coefficients reduce in sequence.

On characteristics of sheath damping near a dielectric wall with secondary electron emission

A preliminary investigation is conducted to study the characteristics of sheath damping near a dielectric wall with secondary electron emission （SEE）. Making use of the linear analysis of the sheath stability, we have found two major contributions to the sheath damping, one similar to the Landau damping in uniform plasmas and another determined by local electric field and electron density of the steady-state sheath. It indicates that in a classical sheath regime the damping in the sheath region monotonically increases towards the wall and decreases with the enhancement of SEE effect. In order to verify the theoretical analysis, sheath oscillation processes induced by an initial disturbance are simulated with a time-dependent one-dimensional （1D） sheath model. Numerical results obtained are consistent with the theoretical analysis qualitatively.

Electron emission induced by keV protons from tungsten surface at different temperatures

The electron emission yield is measured from the tungsten surface bombarded by the protons in an energy range of 50keV–250keV at different temperatures.In our experimental results,the total electron emission yield,which contains mainly the kinetic electron emission yield,has a very similar change trend to the electronic stopping power.At the same time,it is found that the ratio of total electron emission yield to electronic stopping power becomes smaller as the incident ion energy increases.The experimental result is explained by the ionization competition mechanism between electrons in different shells of the target atom.The explanation is verified by the opposite trends to the incident energy between the ionization cross section of M and outer shells.

Thermionic Electron Emission Stability of Mo-La_2O_3 Cathode

The carbonizing process and its influence on the thermionic electron emission properties of Mo-La_2O_3 cathode materials were investigated. The carbonized temperature, carbonized time and the pressure of C_6H_6 are key factors of the carbonizing process. The carbonized ratio of Mo-La_2O_3 cathode increases with the increase of carbonizing temperature at low temperature. The highest carbonized ratio is 19.7% obtained at 1723 K, then the carbonized ratio decreases rapidly if temperature increases further. The carbonized ratio increases with the prolongation of carbonizing time during the process of first 6 min., after that the carbonization ratio changes little with the time increase, and the carbonized ratio increases with the increase of the C_6H_6 pressure when the pressure is low, the maximum carbonized ratio reaches 19.7% at 1.5×10^(-2) Pa, then the carbonized ratio goes down sharply when the C_6H_6 pressure is over 1.5×10^(-2) Pa. The emission properties at different operated temperatures and the emission current stability of FU-6051 tubes (equipped) with Mo-La_2O_3 cathodes were also studied in the article. The study results indicate that the emission can keep stable only when the operating temperature is from 1700 to 1800 K and the carbonized layer must be composed by Mo_2C only. The FU-6051 tubes (equipped) with Mo-La_2O_3 cathodes have excellent stable emission current and the lifetime exceeds 3000 h when the cathode′s carbonized ratio is 19.7% operated at 1773 K.

Ion-induced kinetic electron emission from ~6LiF,~7LiF and MgF_2 thin films

Secondary electron yields for Ar^＋ impact on 6LiF, 7LiF and MgF2 thin films grown on aluminum substrates are measured each as a function of target temperature and projectile energy. Remarkably different behaviours of the electron yields for LiF and MgF2 films are observed in a temperature range from 25 ℃ to 300 ℃. The electron yield of LiF is found to sharply increase with target temperature and to be saturated at about 175 ℃. But the target temperature has no effect on the electron yield of MgF2. It is also found that for the ion energies greater than 4 keV, the electron yield of 6LiF is consistently high as compared with that of 7LiF that may be due to the enhanced contribution of recoiling 6Li atoms to the secondary electron generation. A comparison between the electron yields of MgF2 and LiF reveales that above a certain ion energy the electron yield of MgF2 is considerably low as compared with that of LiF. We suggest that the short inelastic mean free path of electrons in MgF2 can be one of the reasons for its low electron yield.

Effect of Secondary Electron Emission on the Sheath in SPT Chamber

A one-dimensional slab model of the plasma sheath in the stationary plasma thruster （SPT） chamber is developed in this study. It is considered that secondary electrons emitted from ceramic walls are partially trapped by the bulk plasma in the SPT chamber; some secondary electrons drift across the sheath where they are generated and the bulk and move towards the opposite sheath. Thus both the secondary electron emission （SEE） from one sheath and the partially trapped secondary electrons from the opposite sheath contribute to this sheath. The results indicate that both the SEE coefficient and trapping coefficient have a significant impact not only on the distributions of both electrons and ions of the SPT sheath but also on the energy flux loss to the SPT wall. When the trapping coefficient increases, the energy flux of electrons deposited to the walls will increase whereas that of ions will decrease. Besides, the critical electron temperature will decrease greatly with the increase of the trapping coefficient.

Mechanism of Secondary Electron Emission of Cu-Al-Mg Alloy

The slices of Cu-Al-Mg alloys with thickness of 0.1mm were prepared. Some samples were activated at the temperature of 590°C and 620°C respectively. The secondary electron emission (SEE) factor (σ) was determined. The composition of surface and the electron binding energy were studied by means of XPS and AES. It is shown that the oxide mainly consisting of Al2O3 and MgO can be formed spontaneously at room temperature. This oxide layer exhibits lower electron binding energy, high σ and satisfactory stability.

Analysis of secondary electron emission using the fractal method

Based on the rough surface topography with fractal parameters and the Monte–Carlo simulation method for secondary electron emission properties, we analyze the secondary electron yield(SEY) of a metal with rough surface topography. The results show that when the characteristic length scale of the surface, G, is larger than 1 × 10^(-7), the surface roughness increases with the increasing fractal dimension D. When the surface roughness becomes larger, it is difficult for entered electrons to escape surface. As a result, more electrons are collected and then SEY decreases. When G is less than 1 × 10^(-7),the effect of the surface topography can be ignored, and the SEY almost has no change as the dimension D increases. Then,the multipactor thresholds of a C-band rectangular impedance transfer and an ultrahigh-frequency-band coaxial impedance transfer are predicted by the relationship between the SEY and the fractal parameters. It is verified that for practical microwave devices, the larger the parameter G is, the higher the multipactor threshold is. Also, the larger the value of D,the higher the multipactor threshold.