Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Manufacturing Of Atomically Sharp Silicon Tips And Their Use As Photocathodes, W. I. Karian, Larry V. Knight, David D. Allred, A. Reyes-Mena

Faculty Publications

The discovery and understanding of the photoelectric effect led to the study of photoemissive materials fall into two major categories: classical photoemitters and negative-electron-affinity (NEA) materials. Classical photoemitters usually involve an alkali metal, a group-V element such as phosphorus, silver, and/or oxygen. An example is the Ag-O-Cs (S1) photoemitter. NEA photocathodes consist of a photoconductive single crystal semiconductor covered with a thin layer of cesium and oxygen. This layer lowers the work function of the photocathode. A dipole layer is formed at the surface, and band bending occurs. This lowers the effective work function. An example is the GaAs(CsO) photocathode …