Diamond Surfaces with Air-Stable Negative Electron Affinity and Giant Electron Yield Enhancement

Diamond Surfaces with Air-Stable Negative Electron Affinity and Giant Electron Yield Enhancement

The presence of an air-stable negative electron affinity (NEA) on lithium-covered oxygen-terminated diamond after a thermal activation process is demonstrated. The NEA is unequivocally established by the onset of photoelectron yield at the bandgap energy of 5.5 eV. This surface exhibits a secondary...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: O’Donnell, Kane, Edmonds, M., Ristein, J., Tadich, A., Thomsen, L., Wu, Q., Pakes, C., Ley, L.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley 2013
Subjects:
negative electron affinity
lithiation
surface modification
diamond
electron emission
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/16614
Description
Summary:The presence of an air-stable negative electron affinity (NEA) on lithium-covered oxygen-terminated diamond after a thermal activation process is demonstrated. The NEA is unequivocally established by the onset of photoelectron yield at the bandgap energy of 5.5 eV. This surface exhibits a secondary electron yield enhancement by a factor of 200, compared to a surface with positive electron affinity. The surface chemistry leading to the necessary surface dipole was elucidated by core-level photoemission spectroscopy in conjunction with previous theoretical calculations. The insensitivity to the details of the deposition process opens a route to practical and robust negative-electron affinity devices based on diamond.

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