Co-sputtered thermionic cathodes and fabrication thereof

Patent · Tue Jun 23 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6432349

Thomas, R E; Ritz, V H

This patent describes a method of fabricating a thermionic cathode by cosputtering selected materials from one or more sources on a substrate surface under controlled conditions, comprising the steps of: introducing a substrate of material having a clean substrate surface into an ambient of reduced pressure with the substrate surface having a controlled temperature; cosputtering a mixture of materials, selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth oxides, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, and other oxides; these are admixed with refractory particles of metal selected from the group consisting of tungsten, iridium, osmium, rhenium, palladium, molybdenum, and other metals onto the clean substrate surface; controlled substrate surface temperatures as needed to build up on the substrate surface a layer of material containing refractory metal particles ranging in size from about 50 to about 200 Angstroms.

• Assignee: Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC
• Patent Number(s): US 4675091
• OSTI ID: 6432349
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300403* -- Thermionic Converters-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALLOYS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
CATHODE SPUTTERING
CATHODES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONTROL
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
IRIDIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MAGNESIUM OXIDES
METALS
MIXTURES
MOLYBDENUM
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
OSMIUM COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PALLADIUM COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PRESSURE DROP
REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS
REFRACTORY METALS
RHENIUM COMPOUNDS
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
TEMPERATURE CONTROL
THERMIONIC EMITTERS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TUNGSTEN COMPOUNDS