RT Journal Article A1 Shuai Tang,Jie Tang,Ta-wei Chiu,Wataru Hayami,Jun Uzuhashi,Tadakatsu Ohkubo,Fumihiko Uesugi,Masaki Takeguchi,Masanori Mitome,Lu-Chang Qin; AD National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; Graduate School of Pure and Applied Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8857, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; Graduate School of Pure and Applied Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8857, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 ; National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, 305-0047, 日本 T1 A HfC nanowire point electron source with oxycarbide surface of lower work function for high-brightness and stable field-emission YR 2020 IS 6 vo 13 OP 1620-OP 1626 K1 nanowire;hafnium carbide;oxycarbide;electron emission;field emission AB Electric field-induced point electron source is highly demanded for microscopy, spectroscopy, lithography, X-ray tubes, microwave devices, and data displays. However, the instability in emission current and requirement of ultrahigh vacuum have often limited its extensive applications. Herewith we report a single-crystalline HfC nanowire with oxycarbide emission surface for stable electron emission at 50 nA with fluctuations less than 1% in a vacuum of 4 × 10-7 Pa. The emitter has a low work function of 2.5 eV measured by the field emission Fowler-Nordheim curve and it is in good agreement with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The energy spread is in a range of 0.21-0.26 eV with a corresponding reduced brightness 1.95 × 1011-3.81 × 1011 A·m-2·sr-1·V-1. The HfC nanowire with oxycarbide emission surface is a qualified candidate for the next-generation electron source with high brightness, large current, and low energy spread. SN 1998-0124 LA EN