Instability of the field emission current from carbon fiber cathodes

In this paper, a classification of carbon materials is proposed, which simplifies the choice of carbon material for the manufacture of field emission cathodes. A review of various carbon fiber materials of interest for the application of field emission in modern vacuum electronics is presented. We describe methods that make it possible to increase the stability of the cathode emission current. The main features of the field emission of carbon fibers are given in greater detail, including the cathode current instability.