Development of a High-Precision Power Supply and Current Measuring Device for Field Emission Spectroscopy

Abstract

Considerable attention is currently being given to nanotip electron sources. These have a number of desirable emission characteristics, including high current density at low voltage, a small source size leading to high coherency, and narrow confinement of the electron beam. To date, we have developed a high-precision energy analyzer capable of obtaining the emission spectrum of the electrons emitted from a nanotip electron source. To improve the resolution of the analyzer, we design an optimum energy analyzer electrode and a more stable power supply. Moreover, the beam current measurement circuit is needed to facilitate the adjustment of the optical axis. Therefore, we have also developed a computer-controlled power supply with low noise, low ripple, and stable output voltage, together with a current measurement circuit and its associated software.