High Gradient Silicon Carbide Immersion Lens Ultrafast Electron Sources

We present two compact ultrafast electron injector designs with integrated focusing that provide high peak brightness of up to \(1.9*10^{12} A/m^2Sr^2\) with 10s of electrons per laser pulse using silicon carbide electrodes and silicon nanotip emitters. We demonstrate a few centimeter scale 96 keV immersion lens electron source and a 57 keV immersion lens electron source with a 19 kV/mm average acceleration gradient, nearly double the typical 10 kV/mm used in DC electron sources. The brightness of the electron sources is measured alongside start-to-end simulations including space charge effects. These sources are suitable for dielectric laser accelerator experiments, ultrafast electron diffraction, and other applications where a compact high brightness electron source is required.