The use of boron nitride for field effect electron emission

An attractive choice for low power neutralization, field effect electron emitters provide electron emission without heater power (as for thermionic emitters) or consumable gas requirements (as for hollow cathodes). One concern for contemporary field emitters, however, is their robustness while operating in ionospheric and electric propulsion environments. This presentation details experimental results of a phase-II STTR program run by ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc. in collaboration with the University of Michigan, to develop boron nitride as an electron emission substrate. A unique material for electron emission, with properties similar to diamond, boron nitride shows potential for significant improvement in the area of robustness while still providing low extraction voltages.