Vacuum breakdown of very small gap in the range of 30nm to 2f m, between a pointed cathode of thin tungsten wire and a plane anode of stainless steel, was experimentally investigated. The experimental setup, which consists of both electrodes and precise positioning mechanisms actuated by piezoelectric devices, was installed in scanning electron microscope (SEM). Breakdown voltage decreases with decrease of gap spacing and/or radius of curvature at the tip ...
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