This Letter describes some characteristics of a new high-density field-emitting cathode which has possible applications in electron guns for cathode-ray tubes and other electronic devices. The cathode consists of a large array of micron-size emitting projections on a smooth semiconductor surface. These projections are generated initially by a voltage-breakdown process and appear to be maintained during operation by a regenerative process. Electron emission densities as high as 1.0 ∼ 2.0 A/cm2 have been attained from an area of 10−2 cm2 of either germanium or silicon. An experimental cathode-ray tube was successfully constructed using this cathode.
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