The presently disclosed ion sources include one or more electromagnets for changing the distribution of plasma within a discharge space of an ion source. At least one of the electromagnets is oriented about an outer periphery of a tubular sidewall of the ion source and changes a distribution of the plasma in a peripheral region of the discharge space.

A device for generating a source current of charge carriers by a field emission and a method stabilizing a source current of charge carriers emitted by a field emission element are disclosed. In an embodiment the device includes at least one field emission element from which the charge carriers emerge during operation, which lead to an emission current in the field emission element, at least one extraction electrode in order to extract the charge carriers from the field emission element, wherein a first part of the extracted charge carriers contributes to the source current, and a second part of the extracted charge carriers impinges on the extraction electrode and leads to an extraction current in the extraction electrode, an additional electrode on which the source current of charge carriers impinges at least in part and which contributes to an electrode current in the additional electrode.

An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The body can be formed of a porous material compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt. The body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.

An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The body can be formed of a porous material compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt. The body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.

Optimization techniques are disclosed for producing sharp and stable tips/nanotips relying on liquid Taylor cones created from electrically conductive materials with high melting points. A wire substrate of such a material with a preform end in the shape of a regular or concave cone, is first melted with a focused laser beam. Under the influence of a high positive potential, a Taylor cone in a liquid/molten state is formed at that end. The cone is then quenched upon cessation of the laser power, thus freezing the Taylor cone. The tip of the frozen Taylor cone is reheated by the laser to allow its precise localized melting and shaping. Tips thus obtained yield desirable end-forms suitable as electron field emission sources for a variety of applications. In-situ regeneration of the tip is readily accomplished. These tips can also be employed as regenerable bright ion sources using field ionization/desorption of introduced chemical species.

An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The body can be formed of a porous material compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt. The body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the at least one of an ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.

Optimization techniques are disclosed for producing sharp and stable tips/nanotips relying on liquid Taylor cones created from electrically conductive materials with high melting points. A wire substrate of such a material with a preform end in the shape of a regular or concave cone, is first melted with a focused laser beam. Under the influence of a high positive potential, a Taylor cone in a liquid/molten state is formed at that end. The cone is then quenched upon cessation of the laser power, thus freezing the Taylor cone. The tip of the frozen Taylor cone is reheated by the laser to allow its precise localized melting and shaping. Tips thus obtained yield desirable end-forms suitable as electron field emission sources for a variety of applications. In-situ regeneration of the tip is readily accomplished. These tips can also be employed as regenerable bright ion sources using field ionization/desorption of introduced chemical species.

The present disclosure provides a charged particle beam device capable of simultaneously achieving protection of a charged particle source against electrical discharging inside a charged particle gun and highly accurate control of the charged particle gun, for both DC and AC components. A charged particle gun according to the present disclosure is configured such that an extraction voltage and an acceleration voltage are superposed and supplied to a charged particle beam source, a wiring between the charged particle beam source and a voltage circuit is covered with first and second enclosures, the first enclosure is configured to be connected to an extraction electrode, and the second enclosure is configured to be connected to an acceleration electrode and to a reference voltage of the voltage circuit.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle gun using merely an electrostatic lens, said charged particle gun being relatively small and having less aberration, and to provide a field emission-type charged particle gun having high luminance even with a high current. This charged particle gun has: a charged particle source; an acceleration electrode that accelerates charged particles emitted from the charged particle source; a control electrode, which is disposed further toward the charged particle source side than the acceleration electrode, and which has a larger aperture diameter than the aperture diameter of the acceleration electrode; and a control unit that controls, on the basis of a potential applied to the acceleration electrode, a potential to be applied to the control electrode.