journal article·2023-10-01Open access

Atomically smooth films of CsSb: A chemically robust visible light photocathode

C. T. Parzyck, C. A. Pennington, W. J. I. DeBenedetti, J. Balajka, E. M. Echeverria, H. Paik, L. Moreschini, B. D. Faeth, C. Hu, J. K. Nangoi, V. Anil, T. A. Arias, M. A. Hines, D. G. Schlom, A. Galdi, K. M. Shen, J. M. Maxson

APL Materials· Volume 11· Issue 10

Abstract

Alkali antimonide semiconductor photocathodes provide a promising platform for the generation of high-brightness electron beams, which are necessary for the development of cutting-edge probes, including x-ray free electron lasers and ultrafast electron diffraction. Nonetheless, to harness the intrinsic brightness limits in these compounds, extrinsic degrading factors, including surface roughness and contamination, must be overcome. By exploring the growth of CsxSb thin films monitored by in situ electron diffraction, the conditions to reproducibly synthesize atomically smooth films of CsSb on 3C–SiC (100) and graphene-coated TiO2 (110) substrates are identified, and detailed structural, morphological, and electronic characterization is presented. These films combine high quantum efficiency in the visible (up to 1.2% at 400 nm), an easily accessible photoemission threshold of 566 nm, low surface roughness (down to 600 pm on a 1 μm scale), and a robustness against oxidation up to 15 times greater than Cs3Sb. These properties lead us to suggest that CsSb has the potential to operate as an alternative to Cs3Sb in electron source applications where the demands of the vacuum environment might otherwise preclude the use of traditional alkali antimonides.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides · Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy Techniques · Surface and Thin Film Phenomena

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Department of Physics, Cornell University 1 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences and Education, Cornell University 2 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University 3 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Platform for the Accelerated Realization, Analysis, and Discovery of Interface Materials (PARADIM), Cornell University 4 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Oklahoma 5 , Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA

Center for Quantum Research and Technology, University of Oklahoma 6 , Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University 7 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University 8 , Ithaca, New York 14853, USA

Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung 9 , Max-Born-Straße 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno 10 , Fisciano (SA) 84084, Italy

Funding

Center for Bright Beams, Cornell University · Division of Materials Research · Air Force Office of Scientific Research · U.S. Department of Energy · National Nanotechnology Coordinating Office · National Science Foundation

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