@inproceedings{AsgharzadeBartlHausladenetal., author = {Asgharzade, Ali and Bartl, Mathias and Hausladen, Matthias and Chen, Yang and Buchner, Philipp and Edler, Simon and Bachmann, Michael and She, Juncong and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Investigation on the influence of internal voltage drops on the emission behavior of silicon field emission arrays using CMOS image sensor}, series = {38th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC)}, booktitle = {38th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC)}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC65669.2025.11120937}, pages = {2}, abstract = {In this paper we report on an improved measurement and analysis method for determining the emission current distribution of field emitter arrays with CMOS sensors. It can also be used for field emission arrays where not all surfaces of the emitters are at the same electrical potential (e.g. for p-doped Si tips, where a strong current saturation occurs). To demonstrate the functionality of this method, a n-doped field emission array was measured using a variable external series resistance. Brightness variations in emission spots were analyzed to re-calculate the known series resistances for comparison. The re-calculated value is in good agreement with the actual value of the resistance. This method offers a quantitative approach to assess internal voltage drop effects on field emission using optical readout}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchelsHerdlHausladenetal., author = {Schels, Andreas and Herdl, Florian and Hausladen, Matthias and Wohlfartsst{\"a}tter, Dominik and Bachmann, Michael and Edler, Simon and D{\"u}sberg, Felix and Pahlke, Andreas and Buchner, Philipp and Schreiner, Rupert and Hansch, Walter}, title = {Beta Factor Mapping of Individual Emitting Tips During Integral Operation of Field Emission Arrays}, series = {2023 IEEE 36th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-13 July 2023, Cambridge, MA, USA}, booktitle = {2023 IEEE 36th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-13 July 2023, Cambridge, MA, USA}, publisher = {IEEE}, isbn = {979-8-3503-0143-4}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC57695.2023.10188957}, pages = {224 -- 226}, abstract = {Emission uniformity mappings of field emitter arrays provide important insight into degradation mechanisms, but are often laborious, non-integral, costly, or not quantifiable. Here, a low-cost Raspberry Pi HQ camera is used as an extraction anode to quantify the emission distribution in field emitter arrays. A verification measurement using controlled SEM electron beams proves, that current-voltage characteristics of individual emission sites can be determined by combining the integral electrical data with the image data. The characteristics are used to quantify the field enhancement factors of an 30x30 silicon field emitter array during integral operation. Comparison of the field enhancement factor distributions before and after a one-hour constant current operation at 1 µA shows an increase from 50 actively emitting tips before to 156 after the measurement. It is shown, that the distribution of field enhancement factors shifts towards lower values, due to the increasing degradation for high field enhancement tips, especially above 1500.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{DamsPrommesbergerSchreiner, author = {Dams, Florian and Prommesberger, Christian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Fabrication process of silicon-tip-arrays for field emission applications}, series = {24th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2011 : 18 - 22 July 2011, Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, Germany}, booktitle = {24th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2011 : 18 - 22 July 2011, Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, Germany}, publisher = {IEEE}, isbn = {978-3-00-035081-8}, issn = {2380-6311}, pages = {49 -- 50}, abstract = {A micromachined process to assemble homogeneous and reproducible tip arrays for field emission applications is developed and characterized. As substrate material p- as well as n-doped silicon is used. Lateral position of the tips is defined by structuring silicon dioxide to discs in a photolithographic process. Vertical structure of the tips is defined by a combination of RIE dry etching with controlled anisotropy and thermally oxidization of silicon in order to sharpen the tips. Hence field emitter arrays (FEAs) can be assembled both as bare and coated cathodes. To assemble field emission diodes, this fabrication process allows placing a metal anode in a micrometer order distance to the tips by a self-aligning procedure. The anode is placed in an evaporation process whereupon sharpening oxide is used as isolator between anode and cathode. Electrical characterization of the cathodes showed very good homogeneity, well alignment and stability over time of emission current from all tips (i.e. 100\% efficiency).}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{NavitskiSerbunMuelleretal., author = {Navitski, Aliaksandr and Serbun, Pavel and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter and Schreiner, Rupert and Dams, Florian}, title = {Efficient and reliable field emission from silicon tip arrays for miniaturized electron sources}, series = {2011 24th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference ; 18-22 July 2011 Wuppertal}, booktitle = {2011 24th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference ; 18-22 July 2011 Wuppertal}, publisher = {IEEE}, address = {Piscataway, NJ}, isbn = {978-3-00-035081-8}, issn = {2380-6311}, pages = {71 -- 72}, abstract = {Silicon-based cathodes with precisely aligned field emitter arrays (FEA) applicable for miniaturized electron sources were successfully developed and fabricated. The cathode chips contain about 3×105 Si tips/cm2 in a triangular array with a tip height of 2.5 μm, tip radius of 20 nm, and lateral distance between tips of 20 μm. Amazingly homogeneous and well-aligned field emission (FE) from all tips (i.e. 100\% efficiency) and maximum stable currents of typically 0.1 μA for p- and 0.6 μA for n-type Si were reproducibly achieved. Current-voltage characteristics of p-type Si tips exhibit the expected saturation at around 10 nA due to limited supply of electrons from a depletion layer, while the n-type Si tips show the usual FN behaviour. Additional coating of the Si tips with a 10 nm Au layer resulted in at least 5 times higher average FE current levels i.e. typically 3 μA but lead, however, to a 30\% increase of the onset voltage.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LangerŁawrowskiPrommesbergeretal., author = {Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Prommesberger, Christian and Dams, Florian and Serbun, Pavel and Bachmann, Michael and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {High aspect ratio silicon tip cathodes for application in field emission electron sources}, series = {2014 27th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 6-10 July 2014, Engelberg, Switzerland}, booktitle = {2014 27th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 6-10 July 2014, Engelberg, Switzerland}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2014.6894824}, pages = {222 -- 223}, abstract = {Precisely aligned arrays of sharp tip structures on top of elongated pillars were realized by using an improved fabrication process including an additional inductively-coupled-plasma reactive-ion etching step. Arrays of n-type and p-type silicon with 271 tips have been fabricated and investigated. Those structures have a total height of 5-6 µm and apex radii less than 20nm. Integral field emission measurements of the arrays yielded low onset-fields in the range of 8-12V=µm and field enhancement factors between 300 and 700. The I-E curves of n-type structures showed the usual Fowler-Nordheim behaviour, whereas p-type structures revealed a significant saturation region due to the limited number of electrons in the conduction band and a further carrier depletion effect caused by the pillar. The maximum integral current in the saturation region was 150 nA at fields above 30V=µm. An excellent stability of the emission current of less than ± 2\% fluctuation was observed in the saturation region. For n-type Si a maximum integral current of 10 µA at 24V=µm and an average current stability with a fluctuation of ± 50\% were measured.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{PrommesbergerLangerŁawrowskietal., author = {Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Dams, Florian and Schreiner, Rupert and Ławrowski, Robert Damian}, title = {Gated p-Si field emitter arrays for sensor applications}, series = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC)}, booktitle = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC)}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2015.7225567}, pages = {164 -- 165}, abstract = {We report on gated p-type Si-tip array cathodes for implementation into field emission electron sources for sensor applications. Arrays of 16 and 100 tips with tip heights of 3 μm and tip radii below 30 nm with integrated gate electrodes concentrically positioned 2 μm below the tip apexes were fabricated using an improved process, which leads to an enhanced isolation layer quality with sufficient breakdown field strengths and low leakage currents. Integral measurements with a fixed grid potential of 400 V showed emission currents up to 35 μA for 100 tips at a cathode voltage of 150 V and an almost negligible parasitic gate current. The array with 16 p-type Si-tips showed a significant stabilization of the emission current in the range of 0.3 - 0.4 μA, for cathode voltages between 90 V and 150 V. The current fluctuation in this saturation regime was measured for 10 minutes and a value of less than ± 1\% was observed. No degradation of the cathode was found after 6 hours of operation at a constant cathode voltage of 100 V and a constant grid voltage of 400 V.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ŁawrowskiLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Dams, Florian and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Fabrication and simulation of silicon structures with high aspect ratio for field emission devices}, series = {2014 27th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 6-10 July 2014, Engelberg, Switzerland}, booktitle = {2014 27th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 6-10 July 2014, Engelberg, Switzerland}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2014.6894805}, pages = {193 -- 194}, abstract = {To obtain higher field enhancement factors of Si-tip structures, we present an improved fabrication process utilizing reactive-ion etching (RIE) with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP). In our design, a pillar under the tips is realized by a combination of RIE with ICP. With adjusted power settings (≈ 240 W) and step times (<; 5 s), vertical slopes with a low roughness of approximately 10 nm to 20 nm are possible. The remaining silicon is oxidized thermally to sharpen the emitters. A final tip radius of R <; 20 nm is obtained for the tips of the emitters. The pillar height HP can be mainly adjusted by the duration of the ICP-etching step. A total emitter height of H ≈ 6 μm with a pillar height of HP ≈ 5 μm is achieved. Simulations with COMSOL Multiphysics® are applied to calculate the field enhancement factor β. A two-dimensional model is used in rotational symmetry. In addition to the previous model, a pillar with a varying diameter {\O}P and height HP is added. A conventional emitter (H = 1 μm and R = 20 nm) placed on a pillar of the height HP ≈ 5 μm approximately results in a three times higher β-factor (β≈ 105). By decreasing the diameter {\O}P a slight increase of the β-factor is observed. However, the aspect ratio of the emitter mainly influences on the β-factor.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ŁawrowskiLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Schreiner, Rupert and Mingels, Stephan and Porshyn, Vitali and Serbun, Pavel and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter}, title = {Field emission from surface textured GaN with buried double-heterostructures}, series = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, booktitle = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2015.7225548}, pages = {106 -- 107}, abstract = {In this contribution we report on field emission (FE) cathodes based on thin-film LED-technology and surface texturing. The FE cathode can be used both as an n-GaN cathode with an electrical contact at the top side metallization as well as a pn-GaN diode contacting only the p-GaN layer at the bottom side of the structure. The local and integral FE properties of the textured surface of the LED structure were investigated. For n-GaN an integral emission current up to 1.0 μA at an electric field of 19 V/μm was achieved. The pn-GaN diode measurements showed an integral current saturation behavior with two orders of magnitude lower FE currents. Regulated voltage scans obtained by FE scanning microscopy revealed a well-distributed emission over the whole cathode area. Measurements under pulsed tunable laser illumination and moderate electric fields indicated charge carrier generation in the buried double-heterostructures at photon energies below 3.5 eV besides normal photoemission above 4.1 eV.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LangerPrommesbergerŁawrowskietal., author = {Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and M{\"u}ller, F. and Schreiner, Rupert and Serbun, Pavel and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter}, title = {Enhanced field emission from p-doped black silicon on pillar structures}, series = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, booktitle = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2015.7225547}, pages = {104 -- 105}, abstract = {Aligned square arrays of black silicon (b-Si) on top of pillars were fabricated on p-type silicon substrate by a deep-etching step combined with a b-Si process. Two 10×10 arrays with pillar heights of 8 μm and 20 μm and one b-Si reference sample without pillars were investigated. Integral field emission (FE) measurements of the arrays yielded rather low onset-fields between 6.4 V/μm and 13.5 V/μm and field enhancement factors between 430 and 800. The I-V curves showed typical Fowler-Nordheim behavior for low fields, whereas a saturation region was observed at higher fields. The maximum integral current in the saturation region was 8 μA at a field of 20 V/μm. The stability of the emission current was investigated over 3 hours and revealed moderate fluctuations of ± 8\% in the saturation region. Voltage scans showed well-aligned FE from nearly all pillars.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{PrommesbergerLangerŁawrowskietal., author = {Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Muller, F. and Dams, Florian and Schreiner, Rupert and Serbun, Pavel and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter}, title = {Comparison of integral and local field-emission properties of Mo-coated p-Si tip arrays}, series = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, booktitle = {2015 28th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 13-17 July 2015, Guangzhou, China}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2015.7225579}, pages = {192 -- 193}, abstract = {Silicon tip arrays were fabricated by means of reactive ion etching followed by oxidation for final sharpening and molybdenum thin film coating. The field-emission (FE) properties of these Mo-coated p-Si tip arrays were systemically investigated by different measurement techniques. Integral measurements in diode configuration yielded a turn-on field (for 1 nA) of 22 V/μm and nearly stable FE currents up to 6.6 μA at 38 V/μm. The effective field enhancements factor extracted from the FN plots is about 180. Detailed investigations of these FE arrays were also performed by means of field emission scanning microscopy combined with electron microscopy. A rather limited efficiency of the tips (50\% at 1500 V) and FE homogeneity (180 nA at 700 V) might be correlated with the varying morphology of the tips and the presence of oxides. Local I-V measurements of selected single tips revealed both activation and deactivation effects, which finally resulted in nearly reproducible I-V curves. Current stability measurements at a constant voltage showed rather large fluctuations (0.1-1 μA) of the FE current, which could be reduced up to 1.7\% by using of a PID-regulated voltage source. SEM images showed unchanged tip shape after the current processing.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KleshchSerbunOrekhovetal., author = {Kleshch, Victor I. and Serbun, Pavel and Orekhov, Anton and L{\"u}tzenkirchen-Hecht, Dirk and Obraztsov, Alexander N. and Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Schreiner, Rupert and Lutzenkirchen-Hecht, Dirk}, title = {Field emission properties of p-type silicon tips decorated with tungsten nanoparticles}, series = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, booktitle = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2017.8051580}, pages = {138 -- 139}, abstract = {An array of conical-shaped p-type silicon tips was fabricated by using reactive ion etching and sharpening oxidation. The apex of each tip was decorated by a tungsten hemispherical nanoparticle. Field emission properties of the tips were measured by a tungsten-needle anode positioned above the tip apex. Tips decorated with tungsten nanoparticles demonstrated a smaller saturation region in current-voltage characteristics compared to the pristine tips. An emission activation process, which consisted in sudden current increase at certain value of applied voltage, was observed for the decorated silicon tips. This behavior was explained by the formation of vertical protrusions extending from the metal particles revealed by scanning electron microscopy after field emission experiments.}, language = {en} } @article{SchreinerLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Schreiner, Rupert and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Dams, Florian}, title = {Compact and Energy-Efficient Field Emission Cathodes for Sensor Applications}, series = {Advanced Materials Research}, volume = {1024}, journal = {Advanced Materials Research}, publisher = {Scientific.net}, doi = {10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1024.372}, pages = {372 -- 375}, abstract = {We report on miniaturized silicon field emitter arrays for the application in compact and energy-saving vacuum-microelectronic devices, e.g. sensors or x-ray tubes. Since standard silicon semiconductor technology has been used for the fabrication, they may be easily integrated with other silicon based circuits and devices on the same chip. The silicon tip geometry and the operating conditions were optimized in order to obtain highly uniform and stable electron field emission from large area cathode arrays. A series of uniform hexagonal tip arrays containing each 547 tips were fabricated and characterized. The electron emission properties of both individual tips as well as of complete emitter arrays were investigated. A saturation level in the voltage-current characteristics was found, which can be explained by the limitation of the supply of electrons due to the p-type silicon wafer material. When operating the arrays in the current saturation regime at an emission current of ~ 1 nA per tip, a highly stable and low noise emission can be observed.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BiekerRoustaieSchlaaketal., author = {Bieker, Johannes and Roustaie, Farough and Schlaak, Helmut F. and Langer, Christoph and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission characterization of in-situ deposited metallic nanocones}, series = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, booktitle = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2017.8051571}, pages = {120 -- 121}, abstract = {An in-situ fabrication technique based on ion track etched template electrodeposition of metallic nanocones was used for the production of field emitter cathodes. Gold nanocones with a height of 24 microns, a base diameter between 3 to 4 microns and a tip diameter below 300 nanometers were deposited on a circular electrode with a diameter of 2.5 mm. The integral field emission (FE) measurements of samples with cone densities of 6 · 104 cones/cm2 (sample A) and 1 · 106 cones/cm2 (sample B) yielded in a maximum current of 37.5 μA at an applied field of 12.5 V/μm for sample A and 29.1 μA at 9.4 V/μm for sample B. The stability of emission current was investigated for over 48 hours and no degradation was observed.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{KnappLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Knapp, Wolfram and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Lindner, Matthias and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Investigations of the transition from field electron emission to stable plasma discharge in a micro electron source at vacuum pressure}, series = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, booktitle = {2017 30th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 10-14 July 2017, Regensburg, Germany}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2017.8051594}, pages = {166 -- 167}, abstract = {We report on the transition from field electron emission to plasma discharges. During an experiment with a miniaturized field emission electron source a plasma discharge accompanied by a luminous effect was observed. A novel graphical evaluation method was used to interpret and to compare the observed phenomenon.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SerbunPorshynMuelleretal., author = {Serbun, Pavel and Porshyn, Vitali and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter and Mingels, Stephan and L{\"u}tzenkirchen-Hecht, Dirk and Bachmann, Michael and D{\"u}sberg, Felix and Dams, Florian and Hofmann, Martin and Pahlke, Andreas and Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission behavior of Au-tip-coated p-type Si pillar structures}, series = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, booktitle = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, publisher = {IEEE}, issn = {2380-6311}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551516}, pages = {181 -- 182}, abstract = {Precisely aligned high-aspect-ratio (HAR) silicon tip arrays were fabricated using enhanced reactive ion etching with an inductively-coupled-plasma followed by a sharpening oxidation. A gold thin film was then sputtered only on the tips of the HAR structures. Field-emission (FE) properties from Au-coated HAR p-Si tip array cathodes have been systematically investigated by means of field emission scanning microscopy (FESM). A rather high efficiency of the HAR Si structures (71\% at 550 V), but limited homogeneous FE with currents of 1-600 nA might be correlated with the varying geometry of the tips and the presence of oxides. I-V measurements of single Au-coated HAR emitters revealed activation effects and the saturation current region at 3 nA. An increase of the saturation current by 4 orders of magnitude was observed during 20 hours of conditioning at constant voltage, which finally resulted in nearly reproducible FN curves with a ß-factor of 473. An excellent stability of the emission current of less than 1 \% was obtained during the additional long-time conditioning at constant voltage. Optical switching under halogen lamp illumination resulted in at least 2 times higher saturation currents and showed a linear dependence of the FE current on the light color temperature.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{PrommesbergerLangerŁawrowskietal., author = {Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission from black silicon structures with integrated gate electrode}, series = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, booktitle = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, publisher = {IEEE}, issn = {2380-6311}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551532}, pages = {219 -- 220}, abstract = {Black silicon structures with integrated gate electrode were realized by using an improved fabrication process. An enhanced insulation layer was achieved by a combination of dry and wet oxidation, and a gold layer was evaporated as gate electrode. The black silicon structures were prepared with a RIE/ICP etching process at room temperature. Arrays of 16 and 100 apertures with buried p-doped black silicon whiskers have been fabricated. These structures have an emitter height of approximately 1.5 μm with tip radii between 5 nm and 30 nm. The whiskers are surrounded by the gate electrode in a distance of 1.5 μm. Integral field emission measurements yielded an onset voltage of 92 V for 16 apertures and 60 V for 100 apertures for an emission current of 1 nA. Maximum emission currents up to 0.2 μA were observed for the array with 100 apertures at a cathode voltage of 200 V. Stability measurements showed a current fluctuation of ± 21\% at a mean value of the emission current of 12 nA over a period of 30 minutes for 16 apertures with b-Si whiskers.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LangerPrommesbergerŁawrowskietal., author = {Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert and Huang, Yifeng and She, Juncong}, title = {Gated p-Si field emission cathode applied in an ionization vacuum gauge}, series = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, booktitle = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, publisher = {IEEE}, issn = {2380-6311}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551500}, pages = {145 -- 146}, abstract = {A commercial Bayard-Alpert ionization vacuum gauge was equipped with a field emission electron source based on a cathode consisting of an array of 16 gated, p-doped, and DLC-coated Si-tips and characterized. An anode current of about 1.3 μA led to an ion current of 7 fA at 3×10 -7 mbar and 0.8 pA at 4×10 -5 mbar. Whereas at pressures higher than 4×10 -5 mbar the emission current of the electron source decreased, the ratio of ion and anode current remained linear. A nearly constant sensitivity of ~ 17 mbar -1 of the ionization vacuum gauge within the investigated pressure range was depicted.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ŁawrowskiLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission from three-dimensional epitaxial grown GaN-microrods}, series = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, booktitle = {29th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 2016, 11-15 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada}, publisher = {IEEE}, issn = {2380-6311}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2016.7551477}, pages = {87 -- 88}, abstract = {A novel three-dimensional epitaxial technique allows on patterned substrates the realization of gallium nitride pillars, also known as nano- and microrods. The typical dimensions of the microrods are in the range of one micron for the radius of the hexagonal footprint and about 10 μm in height. The microrods consist of a semiconductor heterostructure with an n GaN core, a n-GaN shell, a p GaN shell and an intermediate quantum well layer. The field emission properties were investigated in diode configuration by integral field emission measurements in a vacuum chamber at pressures around 10 -9 mbar. The spacer was mica with a thickness of 50 μm. A metallized fine-meshed nitride grid (or a metallized Si-grid) was used as anode. A current of about 1 μA at a voltage of 1250 V (1750 V) was measured. An onset field of about 12.5 MV/m (20 MV/m) and field enhancement factors in the range of 200 to 500 (150 to 300) were found. The investigation with the fine-meshed grid showed an expected pronounced saturation region.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{PrommesbergerLangerŁawrowskietal., author = {Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Benzocyclobutene as a novel integrated spacer material in a field emission electron source}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 30th, 2017, Regensburg}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 30th, 2017, Regensburg}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2017.8051605}, pages = {192 -- 193}, abstract = {For the realization of a miniaturized field emission electron source we tested benzocyclobutene (BCB) as a new spacer material between cathode and anode. We fabricated black silicon emitters and characterized the emission behavior with an integrated 5 μm thin and large-area spacer of BCB. The integrated BCB layer allows the realization of a compact electron source with only two components consisting of a cathode with BCB and a grid. The comparison with other spacer materials like polyimide (25 μm thickness) or mica (50 μm thickness) revealed for the cathode with BCB a significantly reduced operational voltage of 240 V for a field emission current of 1 μA.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ŁawrowskiLangerPrommesbergeretal., author = {Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Langer, Christoph and Prommesberger, Christian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Microrods and microlines by three-dimensional epitaxially grown GaN for field emission cathodes}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 30th, 2017, Regensburg}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 30th, 2017, Regensburg}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2017.8051576}, pages = {130 -- 131}, abstract = {The three-dimensional epitaxial technique allows the realization of gallium nitride lines in addition to the rods. To optimize the properties of GaN-based field emission cathodes further investigations and an improvement of the epitaxial process were performed. The microrods and microlines consist of a one-order higher n-doped gallium nitride in comparison to the gallium nitride layer on the sapphire substrate. The typical height of the microrods and -lines is about 5 μm. The field emission properties of these structures were investigated in diode configuration by integral field emission measurements at pressures below 10 -9 mbar. For the microrods (microlines) a voltage of 1100 V (2000 V) was measured for a field emission current of about 0.5 μA with an onset field of about 12 MV/m (24 MV/m). Furthermore, the field enhancement factors for microrods and -lines are in the range of 300 and 200, respectively.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SerbunPorshynMuelleretal., author = {Serbun, Pavel and Porshyn, Vitali and M{\"u}ller, G{\"u}nter and L{\"u}tzenkirchen-Hecht, Dirk and Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission behavior of single n- and p-type black Si pillar structures}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2018.8520292}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {We have investigated the properties of single n- and p-type black silicon (b-Si) pillars with a height of 20 μ m under strong electric field and halogen lamp or laser illumination. For both type of b-Si pillar structures, I-V measurements revealed strong activation effects, which consisted in sudden current increases during the first up/down voltage sweeps. The maximum reproducible emission current from a single n-type b-Si pillar structure was about 15 μ A. A pronounced saturation region at 240 nA was observed for a single p-type b-Si pillar. The current fluctuation over time showed a standard deviation of 28\% and 2.5\% for n- and p-type single b-Si pillar structures, respectively. Optical switching under halogen lamp illumination resulted in at least 3 times higher saturation currents and showed a linear dependence of the FE current on the laser power.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{PrommesbergerLangerSchreiner, author = {Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Stable and low noise field emission from single p-type Si-tips}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2018.8520018}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {Single gated p-type Si-tips with two different tip radii were fabricated. An emission current of 2.40 μA was measured for the sharp-edged tip at a voltage of 170 V. In contrast, a stable and reproducible emission behavior was observed with an increased tip radius resulting in a pronounced saturation region between 90 V and 150 V, but merely an emission current of 0.55 μA at 150 V. More remarkable is the stable emission behavior with fluctuation of ± 4 \% during a measurement period of 30 minutes. The integral emission current in a homogeneous tip array (16 emitters) showed nearly the same I-V characteristics compared to the single tip and is therefore, most dominated by only a stable single tip in the array.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ŁawrowskiLangerSchreineretal., author = {Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Langer, Christoph and Schreiner, Rupert and Sellmair, Josef}, title = {Nano Emitters on Silicon Pillar Structures generated by a Focused Electron Beam Induced Deposition}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2018.8520059}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {Nano emitters were deposited by focused electron beam induced deposition of Trimethyl-(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) on top of silicon pillars. The nano emitters were exactly positioned in the center on the top of up to four pillars of a quadratic arranged array of sixteen pillars with a pitch of 50 μm. Integral field emission measurements were performed in a diode configuration with a 50 μm mica spacer in a vacuum chamber at pressures of about 10 -9 mbar. The Fowler-Nordheim plots show a linear behavior, like expected for an n-type silicon material and a metal needle. The I-V measurement of the most promising sample shows an integral emission current up to 2 μm at a voltage of 600 V (12 MV/m) and an onset voltage for a current of 1 nA of about 300 V.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{LangerHausladenPrommesbergeretal., author = {Langer, Christoph and Hausladen, Matthias and Prommesberger, Christian and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Bachmann, Michael and D{\"u}sberg, Felix and Pahlke, Andreas and Shamonin (Chamonine), Mikhail and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Field emission current investigation of p-type and metallized silicon emitters in the frequency domain}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2018.8520127}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {We investigated two different field emitter arrays consisting of 10×10 p-type and 10×10 undoped Au-coated high aspect ratio silicon tips. The I-V characterization of the p-type sample showed a pronounced saturation for voltages higher than 500 V and a maximum emission current of 39 nA. The metallized sample revealed a FN-like emission up to several μA. The metallized and the p-type sample operating below the saturation region showed high current fluctuations of ±16\%. Whereas, the metallized sample with current regulation and the p-type sample in the saturation yielded a current stability of ±0.4\% and ±0.3\%, respectively. Investigations in the frequency domain revealed the for field emission typical 1/f-noise. By operating in the saturation region (p-type sample) or using an emission current regulation (metallized sample) the noise level was reduced by at least 20 dB. Finally, the p-type sample was illuminated by a light emitting diode to increase and modulate the emission current in the saturation region. The emission current was increased by a factor of 3.7 to 145 nA. With this configuration we emulated an unstable emission behavior and evaluated the performance of our emission current regulation circuit.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SerbunPorshynLuetzenkirchenHechtetal., author = {Serbun, Pavel and Porshyn, Vitali and L{\"u}tzenkirchen-Hecht, Dirk and Prommesberger, Christian and Langer, Christoph and Ławrowski, Robert Damian and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Photosensitivity of single silicon high-aspect-ratio tips with different doping levels}, series = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, booktitle = {International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 31st, 2018, Kyoto, Japan}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC.2018.8520288}, pages = {1-2}, abstract = {Photosensitivity of single lightly p-doped, highly p-doped, with an integrated p/n junction and intrinsic high-aspect-ratio (HAR) silicon tips was investigated in an ultra-high vacuum environment. The current-voltage characteristics (I-V) of the lightly doped p-type HAR tips showed a characteristic current saturation at around 10-12 nA, whereas the HAR Si tips with p/n junction showed similar saturation phenomena, however, at much smaller current values starting at ~20-30 pA. Optical switching under a halogen lamp illumination resulted in at least 2-4 times higher saturation currents and showed a linear dependence between the illumination power and the FE current, for both types of structures. In case of the highly p-doped HAR tips optical current switching effects, i. e. current saturation, were observed at rather low current levels 1-2 pA. Intrinsic HAR Si-tips showed relative unstable field emission behavior without a clear evidence of the photosensitivity.}, language = {en} }