Determination of the Surface Tension and Surface Migration Constants for Tungsten

Abstract

A determination of the surface tension and surface migration constants of metals in the solid phase, based on the use of pulsed field emission microscopy, is discussed. The experimental technique is described. An application to field emission cathodes of Herring's theory of transport phenomena in solids is given, which yields the necessary relations required for the determination of the basic physical constants from the experimental data. Results are presented and discussed for the case of tungsten. The method is applicable to a number of other metals, several of which are currently under investigation.