MANUFACTURE OF ELECTRIC FIELD EMITTIVE LIQUID METAL ION SOURCE

PURPOSE:To improve an yield in the manufacturing process by adding in advance a small amount of a material hastening the wetting properties either to a needle wire rod or a liquid metal when sticking the liquid metal material to the needle wire rod. CONSTITUTION:When sticking a liquid metal 4 such as lead and bismuth to a needle 1 using a needle wire rod based on tungsten, for instance, nickel is added in advance to the liquid material 4 in a melting pot. When the needle 1 with a heater 3 is dipped into said melting pot for sticking a sufficient amount of the liquid metal 4, it assumes the shape, in which a reservoir 2 of a metal is loaded with the liquid metal 4. Next, the heater 3 is electrically conducted while being kept in high temperature to the extent causing no question of evaporation of the metal 4 and impressed by high voltage, the surface diffusion of the metal 4 is hastened for making wet to advance to the tip of the needle 1 and unifying wet for the needle 1. Further, the amount of nickel to be added is regulated according to a degree of the wetting properties.