Field-emitter arrays for vacuum microelectronics

An ongoing program on microfabricated field-emitter arrays has produced a gated field-emitter tip structure with submicrometer dimensions and techniques for fabricating emitter arrays with tip packaging densities of up to 1.5*10/sup 7/ tips/cm/sup 2/. Arrays have been fabricated over areas varying from a few micrometers up to 13 cm in diameter. Very small overall emitter size, materials selection, and rigorous emitter-tip processing procedures have contributed to reducing the potential required for field emission to tens of volts. Emission current densities of up to 100 A/cm/sup 2/ have been achieved with small arrays of tips, and 100-mA total emission is commonly produced with arrays 1 mm in diameter containing 10000 tips. Transconductances of 5.0 mu S per tip have been demonstrated, indicating that 50 S/cm/sup 2/ should be achievable with tip densities of 10/sup 7/ tips/cm/sup 2/. Details of the cathode arrays and a variety of performance characteristics are discussed. >

[1]  R. Fowler,et al.  Electron Emission in Intense Electric Fields , 1928 .

[2]  The distribution of autelectronic emission from single crystal metal points. I. Tungsten, molybdenum, nickel in the clean state , 1940, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[3]  E. J. Bowen.  Luminescence of Solids , 1952, Nature.

[4]  F. Mandl,et al.  The Atomic Nucleus , 1957, Nature.

[5]  C. C. Klick,et al.  Luminescence in Solids , 1957 .

[6]  V. S. Fomenko,et al.  Handbook of Thermionic Properties , 1966 .

[7]  C. Spindt.  A Thin‐Film Field‐Emission Cathode , 1968 .

[8]  A. V. Crewe,et al.  Electron Gun Using a Field Emission Source , 1968 .

[9]  D. Schroder,et al.  Fabrication and some applications of large-area silicon field emission arrays , 1974 .

[10]  Ivor Brodie,et al.  Bombardment of field-emission cathodes by positive ions formed in the interelectrode region , 1975 .

[11]  C. Spindt,et al.  Physical properties of thin‐film field emission cathodes with molybdenum cones , 1976 .

[12]  The application of thin-film field-emission cathodes to electronic tubes , 1979 .

[13]  A multiple-electron-beam exposure system for high-throughput, direct-write submicrometer lithography , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[14]  C. Spindt,et al.  Field emission cathode array development for high-current-density applications , 1983 .

[15]  RECENT PROGRESS IN LOW-VOLTAGE FIELD-EMISSION CATHODE DEVELOPMENT , 1984 .

[16]  Field electron emission properties of TiC single crystals , 1985 .

[17]  Current limiting of field emitter array cathodes , 1986 .

[18]  C. Curtis,et al.  Spacecraft mass spectrometer ion source employing field emission cathodes , 1986 .

[19]  R. Greene,et al.  A vacuum field effect transistor using silicon field emitter arrays , 1986, 1986 International Electron Devices Meeting.

[20]  J. Cochran,et al.  Low-voltage field emission from tungsten fiber arrays in a stabilized zirconia matrix , 1987 .

[21]  FIELD EMISSION FROM SEMICONDUCTOR POINT ARRAYS , 1988 .

[22]  Christopher E. Holland,et al.  FIELD EMITTER ARRAYS APPLIED TO VACUUM FLUORESCENT DISPLAY , 1988 .

[23]  N. A. Cade,et al.  Semiconductor fabrication technology applied to micrometer valves , 1989 .

[24]  Keynote address to the first international vacuum microelectronics conference, June 1988: pathways to vacuum microelectronics , 1989 .

[26]  Susan K. Jones,et al.  Microstructures for control of multiple ion or electron beams , 1989 .

[27]  An X-band tuned amplifier with a field-emission cathode , 1989 .

[28]  Christopher E. Holland,et al.  Field-emitter arrays to vacuum fluorescent display , 1989 .

[29]  M. Roth,et al.  Lateral miniaturized vacuum devices , 1989, International Technical Digest on Electron Devices Meeting.

[30]  A study of field emission microtriodes , 1991 .

[31]  FIELD-EMITTER ARRAYS FOR RF VACUUM MICROELECTRONICS , .