Study on emission stability of Mo-La2O3 cathode

The Mo-La₂O₃ cathode, which possesses the advantages of high strength and good ambient ductility, excellent electron emission ability, low operating temperature and radioactive-free pollution, is a promising cathode for replacing W-ThO₂ cathode in a variety of vacuum electron devices. However, it was found that the emission current of Mo-La₂O₃ cathode electron tubes attenuated with lifetime rapidly. In order to obtain stable emission of Mo-La₂O₃ tubes, much effort have been done on the material composition, the carbonizing process and emission mechanism in recent years. The results obtained indicate that the great progress has been made in the emission stability and the lifetime of Mo-La₂O₃ cathode tubes. The Mo-La₂O₃ cathodes have been successfully used to replace W-ThO₂ cathodes in FU-6051 electron tubes in China gradually.