FIELD EMISSION ELECTRON EMISSION DEVICE

To solve a problem in which a filament used in an X-ray tube or the like is heated to emit thermoelectrons in an electron generator using the filament, but this has the disadvantage that the power efficiency is very poor and the life is short, like an incandescent lamp.SOLUTION: As an alternative to an electron generator using a filament, a large number of fine needles made of a conductor or a semiconductor are formed on a plate of a conductor or a semiconductor using an integrated circuit technology etc. By applying a high voltage between the opposing plate and the plate with this needle, an extremely high electric field is generated at the needle tip, and a large number of electrons are generated using a field electron emission mechanism without relying on a thermionic emission mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2 【課題】Ｘ線管などで用いられるフィラメントを用いた電子発生装置ではフィラメントを熱し熱電子を放出させているが、これは白熱電球と同様、電力効率が非常に悪く、且つ寿命が短いという欠点があるため、これを解決する。【解決手段】フィラメントを用いた電子発生装置の代替として、集積回路技術等を用い、導体または半導体から成る多数の微細な針を導体または半導体の板の上に多数形成し、この針を持つ板と相対する電極間に高電圧を与えることで、針先端に極度に高い電界を生成し、熱電子放出機構に頼らずに電界電子放出機構を用いて電子を多数発生させる。【選択図】図２