Lanthanum Boride (LaB6) Cathode

LaB6 Cathodes Introduction

LaB6, also known as lanthanum hexaboride, is a hot-pressed ceramic material that exhibits excellent thermionic emission properties. It is composed of lanthanum and boron and is widely used as a cathode material in various electron emission applications. LaB6 cathodes are renowned for their high electron emission efficiency, long operational lifespan, and stability under demanding operating conditions.

 The unique electron emission characteristics of LaB6 make it particularly suitable for applications where high-current, high-brightness electron beams are required. It is commonly used in electron microscopy, electron beam lithography, electron beam welding, and other similar technologies. LaB6 cathodes can generate electron beams with high brightness and low energy spread, making them ideal for achieving fine resolution and high-quality imaging in microscopy and lithography systems.

 Chemical stability for LaB6 is high, making it a stable and easy-to-use material. At room temperature, it only reacts with few strong acids and won’t react with water and air. It would be oxidized only at temperature above 600°C. The product of reaction between LaB6 and residue gas in the working environment usually has lower boil point, and they evaporate in the high temperature working environment. Thus, LaB6 can maintain a clean surface and provide long service life.

 

Our LaB6 Cathodes and otherproducts

  Although the single crystal LaB6 cathodes has longer usage life and better electric emission, the difficulty to produce and relatively small size limits its applications. Most LaB6 cathodes are still produced by hot pressing technique. QSAM is producing a series of tech ceramics based on our high-performance hot-pressing system. With co-operation with tech ceramic laboratory in universities and research institutions, we are continuously improving our capability and the quality. In our production, the high purity LaB6 raw material is sintered by hot pressor, and the blanks are machined into the shape of electrodes. LaB6 hot pressed material can be considered as polycrystalline products, but it is still not formed through crystal growing. These kind of LaB6 materials are widely used in applications that need large quantity of electric guns with high effective-cost ratio.

Please contact us for price quote of various sizes of cathodes and other machined LaB6 products. Inquiry for custom production could be submitted by either Email (sales@qsadvancedmaterials.com) or the inquiry form

Properties of LaB6

Product	LaB6 cathode	Structure	Polycrystalline
Symbol	LaB6	Thermal Conductive	47 W/mK (20C)
Cas No.	12008-21-8	Thermal Expansion	6.2 10-6K-1 (20-900C)
Atomic Mass	203.78 g/mol	Electrical Resistance	ca.15 u ome cm (20C)
Density	4.72 g/cm3	Electrical Conductive	6.65×104  S/cm (20C)
Melting Point	2528 K	Production method	Hot pressed
Hardness	87.5 RA	Electron Emissivity	<4eV

LaB6 Cathode Packaging

Although LaB6 is not that rare and has a relatively mature production process, the small Cathodes of LaB6 are still quite brittle. We usually pack these ceramic parts in plastic bags with vacuum seal, and hevay foam

Documents packed together are COA of the raw material (Lanthanum Boride powder) for the LaB6 Cathodes

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