Plasma-assisted electron emission from (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 ceramic cathodes

Strong pulsed electron emission has been observed from 12/65/35 lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic composition in two different nonswitched phases at room temperature and at the temperature 100 °C. The electron emission parameters of this composition appear to be independent of phase for the two phases investigated. Fast photography and direct observation show that the strong electron emission occurs from the surface discharge plasma. The new experimental data make it possible to demonstrate the validity of the Child–Langmuir law for this electron emitter. A pulsed plasma lead lanthanum zirconate titanate ceramic cathode with burst frequency up to 100 kHz and collector current density up to 10 A/cm2 is developed.