Photocathode and method for assembly

1. A method for fabricating a film component, comprising,

sputtering a first film onto a substrate, wherein the first film is formed from molecules dislodged from a target and includes a semiconductor compound material, wherein the target includes the semiconductor compound material, and the semiconductor compound material includes a semi-metal material and one or more alkali materials; and

evaporating a second film onto the first film, wherein:

the second film includes the one or more alkali materials; and

the one or more alkali materials catalyze crystallization of the semiconductor compound material in the first film substantially throughout the first film to form the film component in the first film.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semi-metal material is antimony.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

measuring a quantum efficiency of the film component;

detecting a crystalline structure of the film component; and

continuing the evaporating of the second film onto the first film until the quantum efficiency of the film component is measured to be greater than a threshold value or the crystalline structure is detected substantially throughout the thickness of the film component.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the measuring of the quantum efficiency of the film component comprises:

applying an electric bias between an anode of a quantum efficiency measuring device and the film component;

emitting an incident light of a wavelength incident to the film component; and

measuring a photocurrent produced by the film component in response to the incident light, wherein the photocurrent is measured between the anode and the film component, and the quantum efficiency of the film component is determined by the quantum efficiency measuring device based on the measured photocurrent and the wavelength.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more alkali materials comprise a first alkali material of potassium (K), and a second alkali material of cesium (Cs).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the semi-metal material is antimony, and wherein the semiconductor compound material comprises K 2 CsSb.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first film has a thickness of about 10 nm to about 200 nm, and the second film has a thickness of about JO nm to about 200 nm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more alkali materials comprise cesium (Cs).

9. An apparatus effective to fabricate a film component, the apparatus comprising:

a sputtering device configured to sputter a first film onto a substrate, wherein the first film is formed from molecules dislodged from a target and includes a semiconductor compound material, wherein the target includes the semiconductor compound material and the semiconductor compound material includes a semi-metal material and one or more alkali materials;

an evaporator in operative relationship with the sputtering device, the evaporator effective to evaporate one or more alkali materials onto the first film of the semiconductor compound material to form a layer of the one or more alkali materials and catalyze crystallization of the semiconductor compound material in the first film substantially throughout the first film to form the film component.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a quantum efficiency detector in operative relationship with the evaporator, wherein the quantum efficiency detector comprises:

a light source, wherein the light source is effective to generate an incident light of a wavelength incident to the film component;

an anode; and

a lead coupled between the anode and the film component, wherein the quantum efficiency detector is effective to measure a photocurrent response in the film of the semiconductor compound material to the incident light from the light source to determine a quantum efficiency.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the anode comprises a metallic ring.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the evaporator is a thermal evaporation apparatus, an e-beam evaporator apparatus, or a hot wall evaporation apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising an X-ray powder refraction detector.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the one or more alkali materials comprise a first alkali material of potassium (K) and a second alkali material of cesium (Cs).

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the semi-metal material is antimony, and where in the semiconductor compound material comprises K 2 CsSb.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein a thickness of the semiconductor compound material is about 10 nm to about 200 nm and a thickness of the layer of the one or more alkali materials is about 10 nm to about 200 nm.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein a thickness of the semiconductor compound material is in a 1:1 ratio with the thickness of the layer of the one or more alkali materials.

18. A method to fabricate a component, the method comprising:

sputtering a first film onto a substrate, wherein the first film is formed from molecules and includes a semiconductor compound material and the semiconductor compound material includes a semi-metal material and one or more alkali materials;

heating a first end of a first alkali output tube of an evaporator to evaporate a first alkali source;

heating a first end of a second alkali output tube of an evaporator to evaporate a second alkali source, wherein the alkali sources are the same alkali or two different alkalis;

depositing the first alkali source from a second end of the first alkali output tube onto the first film; and

depositing the second alkali source from a second end of the second alkali output tube onto

the first film, wherein the deposited alkali sources form a second film to fabricate the component.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the first alkali output tube is surrounded by a first heating tube and the second alkali output tube is surrounded by a second heating tube.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising controlling, by a controller:

a first flow of first hot air through the first heating tube to heat the first alkali output tube;

and a second flow of second hot air through the second heating tube to heat the second alkali output tube.