Fabrication of tungsten wire needles

Technical Report · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6133580· OSTI ID:6133580

Roder, A

Fine point needles for field emissoin are conventionally produced by electrolytically or chemically etching tungsten wire. Points formed in this manner have a typical tip radius of about 0.5 microns and a cone angle of some 30 degrees. The construction of needle matrix detector chambers has created a need for tungsten needles whose specifications are: 20 mil tungsten wire, 1.5 inch total length, 3 mm-long taper (resulting in a cone angle of about 5 degrees), and 25 micron-radius point (similar to that found on sewing needles). In the process described here for producing such needles, tungsten wire, immersed in a NaOH solution and in the presence of an electrode, is connected first to an ac voltage and then to a dc supply, to form a taper and a point on the end of the wire immersed in the solution. The process parameters described here are for needles that will meet the above specifications. Possible variations will be discussed under each approprite heading.

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 6133580
• Report Number(s): SLAC-TN-83-7; ON: DE83012025
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360101* -- Metals & Alloys-- Preparation & Fabrication
42 ENGINEERING
420800 -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
FABRICATION
FIELD EMISSION
FILAMENTS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
RADIATION DETECTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNGSTEN
WIRES