The tungsten filaments manufactured by Energy Beam Sciences are used in all major brands of scanning and transmission electron microscopes. These high quality, high stability tungsten EM filaments, also called cathodes or electron emitters, are manufactured to excede the specifications of the original equipment manufacturers. These superior cathodes are made using high quality ceramic dics, exact size contact pins and high grade tungsten filament wire. Special tools are used to produce the correct shape of the tungsten filament. All EBSciences tungsten filaments are precisely aligned and annealed in high vacuum to reduce stress in the filament. This will guarantee optimum stability, maximum brightness, longer lifetime and overall lower running costs.
Exclusive features of the EBS tungsten EM filaments are:
- Minimum tip radius for coherent beam
- Rigid attachment of filament wire to post to increase stability
- Fully stress relieved for enhanced cathode lifetime
- Polished post ends
- Precise dimensions
- Better long term economy
Please consult the following table for the correct type of tungsten filament for your SEM, TEM or Microprobe. The EBS tungsten filaments are available for FEI, Hitachi, ISI, JEOL, Philips, Tescan, Zeiss, LEO, Cambridge Instruments, Leica, AmRay, Pemtron and CamScan Electron Microscopes.
 | AEI base Filaments compatible with Zeiss EVO, LEO, Leica, and Cambridge Instrument SEMs |
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| Product # | Unit |
| MSFILWAEI | box/10 |
 | AmRay Filament for all AmRay, AMR and Leitz/AMR SEMs, except AMR 1200 series |
|---|
| Product # | Unit |
| 14-AM1202 | box/10 |
 | Coxem Filaments H1020 for Coxem SEMs |
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| Product # | Unit |
| 14-CX1212 | box/10 |
 | FEI / Philips Filaments for FEI SEM/TEM and Philips PSEM 500 and later and Philips EM200 TEM and later |
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| Product # | Unit |
| MSFILWF-10 | box/10 |
 | Hitachi S-Type Filaments for S-, SU-, H- and X-Series SEM and TEM |
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| Product # | Unit |
| 14-HI1204 | box/10 |
 | Hitachi S-Type pre-aligned Filaments with Metal Cartridge for S-3400N, S-3700N, SU-1500, SU-15210, SU-3500 and TM33030-3000-1000 series Table top SEM |
|---|
| Product # | Unit |
| 14-HI1205 | box/10 |
| 14-HT1205-1 | each |
 | ISI 2-Pin Filaments for ISI / ABT / Topcon SEM and ABT TEM |
|---|
| Product # | Unit |
| 14-I21206 | box/10 |
 | JEOL K-Type Filaments with Stainless Steel Alignment Ring for SEM and TEM |
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| Product # | Unit |
| 14-JL1208 | box/6 |
| Pemtron Filaments for Pemtron SEMs |
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| Product # | Unit |
| 14-PT1211 | box/10 |
 | Tescan Filaments for Tescan SEMs and Camscan SEMs with new Tescan Columns |
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| Product # | Unit |
| 14-TN1209 | box/10 |
| 14-TN1209-3 | box/3 |
 | ZEISS Tungsten Filaments for Zeiss SEMs and TEMs |
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| Product # | Unit |
| MSFILWZ-10 | box/10 |
Electron Source Performance Table
The electron source performance table is provided to give additional information regarding the performance and requirements for different type of electron emitters. Tungsten cathodes are still used in the majority in SEMs and in general use TEMs. Improved results can be obtained with LaB6 cathodes, whereas the highest resolution can be obtained with either Schottky or cold Field Emission Sources which can only be used in suitable EMs.
| Emitter Type | Thermionic | Thermionic | Schottky FE | Cold FE |
| Cathode Material | W | LaB6 | ZrO/W (100) | W (310) |
| Operating Temp (K) | 2700 | 1800 | 1800 | 300 |
| Cathode Radius (nm) | 60,000 | 10,000 | <1000 | <100 |
| Effective Source Radius (µm) | 25 | 10 | 0.015 | 0.0025 |
| Emission Current Density (A/cm2) | 3 | 30 | 5300 | 17,000 |
| Total Emission Current (µA) | 200 | 80 | 200 | 5 |
| Brightness (A/cm2.sr.kV) | 1×104 | 1×105 | 1×107 | 2×107 |
| Maximum Probe Current (nA) | 1000 | 1000 | 10 | 0.2 |
| Energy Spread @ Cathode (ev) | 0.59 | 0.4 | 0.31 | 0.26 |
| Energy Spread @ Source Exit (eV) | 1.5 – 2.5 | 1.3 – 2.5 | 0.35 – 0.7 | 0.3 – 0.7 |
| Beam Noise (%) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 – 10 |
| Emission Current Drift (%/h) | 0.1 | 0.2 | <0.5 | 5 |
| Operating Vacuum (hPa/mbar) | <10-5 | <10-6 | <10-8 | <10-10 |
| Typical Cathode Life (h) | 100 | >1000 | >5000 | >2000 |
| Cathode Regeneration (h) | None | None | None | 6-12 |
| Sensitivity to External Influences | Minimal | Low | Low | High |
