Data and numerical analysis of FEA experiments with linear planar lenses

Summary form only given. Conventional gated field-emitter arrays (FEAs) typically emit electrons with wide angular spread. Our experiments show that a line of gated field-emitters emit a collimated sheet beam of electrons. The configuration that produces these results consists of a line of gated FEAs with focusing provided by lenses on either side of the gate electrode and coplanar with the gate electrode. The full-width-half-maximum of the beam is less than 35 microns, when measured at the anode 10 mm from the cathode. This is a reduction of the width of the beam by about a factor of hundred as compared to the width of the beam when no focusing field is applied. The results indicate that integrated focusing lenses can be very effective in collimating the electron beam from gated field emitters. The FEAs were fabricated by MCNC.