Microgun

Summary form only given, as follows. The microgun is the association of a nanotip with coplanar lenses that have micrometer scale opening. This association takes advantage of the specific properties intrinsic to the nanotips and microlenses for the purpose of field emission extraction of low energy coherent e-beam, with focusing and deflection possibilities. A systematic study, including computer simulations and experiments, has been done in order to highlight the field emission behaviour within different microlens geometries. Results about the energy distribution and electron trajectories within the electron optics approach, for example, are presented for different kind of field emission sources: Spindt-type microtips, regular microtips and nanotips. Applications appropriate to the different sources are proposed.