Features and technology of ferroelectric electron emission

Spontaneous electrical polarization of ferroelectric materials can be changed either by reversal or by phase transition from a ferroelectric into a nonpolar state or vice versa. If spontaneous polarization changes are induced at a submicrosecond time scale, strong uncompensated surface charge densities and related fields are generated, which may lead to the intense self-emission of electrons from the negatively charged free surface areas of the ferroelectric cathode. The nature of this self-emission differs essentially from other methods of ferroelectric electron emission and from conventional electron emission in that the latter methods are only achieved by extracting electrons with externally applied electric fields. When electron guns are constructed with ferroelectric cathodes, new design criteria have to be taken into account. The intensity, the energy, the temporal and spatial distribution and the repetition rate of the emitted electron beams can be adjusted within wide limits. The advantages of ferroelectric cathodes and the technological difficulties arising during their production, preparation, and operation are identified and discussed and solutions to the problems are proposed. Experiences with a few applications of ferroelectric electron emission are reported and suggestions for further applications are made. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.