Stellarray’s DAXS, MAXS and RIXS sources use field emission cold cathodes — micro-fabricated devices that emit current in a very compact format without the need for heating.  Staff at Stellarray have made cold cathodes using different allotropes  of carbon, including diamond & carbon nanotubes, various metals & semiconductors including III-V compounds, for applications such as vacuum transistors, space instruments, terahertz sources, UV sources and our own x-ray sources.  We can supply them for other applications from our microelectronics fab.  

Our preferred cold cathodes use films of carbon and metal in which alternating conducting and insulating layers terminate in an edge or lateral tip.  The thinness of the edge or sharpness of the tip enhances the field, as does the resulting vacuum “triple point”. Formats include straight edges, single lateral tips, lateral tip arrays and a unique “disk-pusher cathode”. 

To inquire about cold cathodes, please send email to [email protected]