The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 26, 1999
Filed:
Feb. 04, 1997
Michael W Geis, Acton, MA (US);
Nickolai N Efremow, Melrose, MA (US);
Kevin E Krohn, Chelmsford, MA (US);
Jonathan C Twichell, Acton, MA (US);
Theodore M Lyszczarz, Concord, MA (US);
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);
Abstract
The surface-emission cathodes of the invention are constructed so that the cathode body has a free surface over which electrons are efficiently accelerated after injection from a conductive contact. The junction between the free surface and the contact has the property that the height of the barrier to tunneling from the contact to floating surface states associated with the free surface of the cathode body is lower than both the barrier to emission from the contact to vacuum and the barrier to injection from the contact into the conduction band of the cathode body material. Thus under an applied potential, electrons are injected from the contact into floating surface states associated with the free surface. After acceleration, electrons leave the free surface, either emitted to vacuum or injected into another medium.