On-Chip Cold Cathode Electron Sources for X-Ray Generation & Imaging: Advancing a NIST-Patented Technology

Over a decade ago, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) invented a cold cathode electron field emitter with the potential to disrupt the state of the art for imaging and communications systems. NIST showed that these devices, comprising nanoporous silicon carbide structures of various hierarchical shapes, can emit electrons from their surfaces purely by application of an electric field. The NIST sources yielded “cold” electrons that formed vacuum electron currents akin to those produced by established hot sources, such as dispenser cathodes, thereby eliminating the heating element and the significant emittance produced by thermal electrons. This SBIR proposal seeks to test the business case for commercialization of devices borne from this fundamental advancement, and to implement a new lithography procedure introduced in Phase I of this SBIR program for scaleup of this important cold cathode electron source technology. The Principal Investigator at Julia Jean, LLC has cooperated with NIST scientists and facilities to carry out Phase I research and devised an extended technical development plan for Phase II, based on the economic and technical feasibility studies of Phase I. This effort delivered a foundation for creating marketable prototypes in the early-stage commercialization of these cold sources.