Form 9.B Project Summary
Chron:
971124
Proposal
Number:
26.02-9986
Project Title:
A CVD Diamond Coated Silicon-Based
Cold Cathode For Space-Based Power
Tubes
Technical Abstract (Limit 200 words)
A silicon based Spindt-type field emission cathode
exploiting electron emission properties of Chemical
Vapor Deposited (CVD) diamond will be developed.
This cold cathode will be capable of producing high
current densities at low applied electric fields and
will dramatically improve the performance of
microwave power tubes and other electron devices
for commercial and military applications. A
proprietary process is employed for selective
diamond deposition on emitter tips of silicon based
field emission arrays produced by state of the art
semiconductor manufacturing technologies. This
process which produces coverage of diamond
crystallites on emitter tips with no coverage of the
gate has been developed by General Vacuum, Inc.
and successfully demonstrated on Mo based
Spindt-type arrays provided by NASA LeRC. Due
to the Negative Electron Affinity (NEA) nature of
diamond, high electron emission will be achieved at
very low applied fields. Because power in satellites
can cost up to $1,000,000 per watt, very significant
savings can be achieved with the new diamond/Si
cold cathode since no heater is necessary to obtain
the desired current densities and input power is
orders of magnitude lower than state of the art.
Phase I will demonstrate feasibility of reproducing
this process on silicon-based field emission arrays.
Potential Commercial Applications (Limit 200 words)
Diamond-coated silicon-based Spindt cathodes may
be incorporated into high power amplifiers for
Doppler radar systems, satellite communication
systems, and field emission cathodes for flat panel
displays. These arrays will be a highly efficient
source of electrons, at high power, for commercial
communication systems and next-generation field
emission displays. The manufacturing technique is
easily incorporated into existing silicon-based
semiconductor manufacturing processes, and will
allow rapid incorporation of thin-film diamond to
enhance existing devices. The efficiency and yield
of these arrays will also allow the design of new
devices which had previously been limited by
conventional thermionic or cold cathodes.
Name and Address of Principal Investigator (Name,
Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
Hsiung Chen
General Vacuum, Inc.
190A Alpha Park
Cleveland , OH 44143
Name and Address of Offeror (Firm Name, Mail Address,
City/State/Zip)
Gerald Mearini
General Vacuum, Inc.
190A Alpha Park
Cleveland , OH 44143