Part 1 of this article series (October 1994 issue) covered the performance features of various tip shapes and explained why the <100> crystal orientation is the industry standard. Part 2 (January/February 1995 issue) covered cathode mounting design and explained how the Mini Vogel Mount cathode design provides high-stability and long-lifetime performance.

LaB6 and CeB6 cathodes are used as high-brightness, high-stability, longlifetime cathodes in a variety of electron beam applications. A high-brightness source provides small spot sizes for high resolution and improved analytical results from high beam currents.