A charged particle source is provided that exhibits small energy dispersion for charged particle beams emitted under a high angular current density condition and allows stable acquisition of large charged particle currents even for a small light source diameter. The charged particle source has a spherical virtual cathode surface from which charged particles are emitted, and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a first position on a tip end surface of an emitter and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a second position on the tip end surface of the emitter match each other.

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.

An ion beam generator includes an emission electrode, an extraction electrode, and an electricity generator. The emission electrode includes a substrate and a plurality of nanowires extending away from the substrate, substantially towards the extraction electrode, the nanowires having a length of 50 nm to 50 μm. The emission electrode has a source of ions including a sheet of ionic liquid formed on the substrate and at least partially immersing the nanowires. The nanowires and the substrate are electrically insulating or semiconducting, and the electricity generator is connected to the sheet of ionic liquid. The emission electrode is thus capable of sending ion beams from the ionic liquid to the extraction electrode.

An ion propulsion device including emission modules in an emission plane, each module having an insulating support, an emission electrode on the support, and a conductive liquid with a microfluidic channel depositing conductive liquid on the electrode; an extraction electrode common to the emission modules and facing the modules; and a control unit, in which each module is configured to emit an ion beam when an electric field is applied to the liquid; each control unit controls an ion emission current emitted by applying a potential difference between each emission electrode and the extraction electrode; the emission electrodes are spaced apart by a linear distance that is greater than a distance between two adjacent emission electrodes separated by an empty space; and a length of the insulating support between the electrodes is greater than a propagation distance of an electric leakage current by charge jumping along the support between the electrodes.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle source that exhibits small energy dispersion for charged particle beams emitted under a high angular current density condition and allows stable acquisition of large charged particle currents even for a small light source diameter. The charged particle source according to the present invention has a spherical virtual cathode surface from which charged particles are emitted, and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a first position on a tip end surface of an emitter and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a second position on the tip end surface of the emitter match each other (see FIG. 4).

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.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a charged particle source that exhibits small energy dispersion for charged particle beams emitted under a high angular current density condition and allows stable acquisition of large charged particle currents even for a small light source diameter. The charged particle source according to the present invention has a spherical virtual cathode surface from which charged particles are emitted, and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a first position on a tip end surface of an emitter and the virtual cathode surface for charged particles emitted from a second position on the tip end surface of the emitter match each other (see FIG. 4).

An ion source including a chamber housing defining an ion source chamber and including an extraction plate on a front side thereof, the extraction plate having an extraction aperture formed therein, and a tubular cathode disposed within the ion source chamber and having a slot formed in a front-facing semi-cylindrical portion thereof disposed in a confronting relationship with the extraction aperture, wherein a rear-facing semi-cylindrical portion of the tubular cathode directed away from the extraction aperture is closed.

An ion source including a chamber housing defining an ion source chamber and including an extraction plate on a front side thereof, the extraction plate having an extraction aperture formed therein, and a tubular cathode disposed within the ion source chamber and having a slot formed in a front-facing semi-cylindrical portion thereof disposed in a confronting relationship with the extraction aperture, wherein a rear-facing semi-cylindrical portion of the tubular cathode directed away from the extraction aperture is closed.

A device for generating a source current of charge carriers and a method for stabilizing a source current of charge carriers are disclosed. In an embodiment the device includes at least one field emission element configured to emit charge carriers, which lead to an emission current in the field emission element, at least one extraction electrode configured to apply an extraction voltage 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 and a control device configured to reduce fluctuations of a controlled variable Q which is a characteristic for the source current, wherein Q is a function of a difference between the emission current and the extraction current.