@inproceedings{HerdlKueddelsmannSchelsetal., author = {Herdl, Florian and Kueddelsmann, Maximillian J. and Schels, Andreas and Bachmann, Michael and Edler, Simon and Wohlfartsst{\"a}tter, Dominik and D{\"u}sberg, Felix and Prugger, Alexander and Dillig, Michael and Dams, Florian and Schreiner, Rupert and Coile{\´a}in, Cormac {\´O}. and Zimmermann, Stefan and Pahlke, Andreas and Duesberg, Georg S.}, title = {Characterization and Operation of Graphene-Oxide-Semiconductor Emitters at Atmospheric Pressure Levels}, 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/IVNC57695.2023.10188974}, pages = {14 -- 16}, abstract = {In recent years Graphene-Oxide-Semiconductor (GOS) electron emitters have attracted a lot of interest due to their outstanding durability in modest vacuum conditions. However, the performance at ambient pressure remains largely unexplored. In this study GOS-emitters are characterized in nitrogen and air at atmospheric pressure, and compared with their vacuum characteristics. For this purpose, lifetime and IV-characteristics measurements are shown. Furthermore, the GOS-emitter was operated as an ionization source for ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) at ambient conditions.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HausladenBuchnerSchelsetal., author = {Hausladen, Matthias and Buchner, Philipp and Schels, Andreas and Edler, Simon and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {An Integrated Field Emission Electron Source on a Chip Fabricated by Laser-Micromachining and Mems Technology}, 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/IVNC57695.2023.10189001}, pages = {115 -- 116}, abstract = {A silicon field emission electron source consisting of a cathode and a grid electrode has been fabricated by laser micromachining. The cathode features 21×21 tips on an area of 4×4 mm 2 , With a self-aligning MEMS technology for the aperture grid, a high electron transmission (99 \%) was achieved. Onset voltages of 50…70 V were observed for an emission current of 1 nA. A stable emission current of 1 mA ± 1.3 \% at an extraction voltage of 250 V was observed during a 30-min operation.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BuchnerHausladenSchelsetal., author = {Buchner, Philipp and Hausladen, Matthias and Schels, Andreas and Herdl, Florian and Edler, Simon and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {An Integrated Silicon Nanowire Field Emission Electron Source on a Chip with High Electron Transmission}, 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/IVNC57695.2023.10188878}, pages = {6 -- 8}, abstract = {Silicon nanowire field emission arrays (50 × 50 pillars) were fabricated on a silicon glass hybrid wafer. The glass acts both as the support for the whole structure and insulator between cathode and extraction grid. The extraction grid matches the emitter structures and is optically aligned and adhered to the emitter chip by a vacuum compatible epoxide adhesive. These chips exhibit an emission current of about 600 μA at an extraction voltage of 300 V. The electron transmission through the grid is above 80 \%. 58-hour longtime measurements were conducted showing low degradation of the emission current and high stability of electron transmission.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HausladenSchelsBuchneretal., author = {Hausladen, Matthias and Schels, Andreas and Buchner, Philipp and Bartl, Mathias and Asgharzade, Ali and Edler, Simon and Wohlfartsst{\"a}tter, Dominik and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Improved Method for Determining the Distribution of FEA Currents by Optical CMOS Sensors}, series = {37th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 15-19 July 2024, Brno, Czech Republic}, booktitle = {37th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 15-19 July 2024, Brno, Czech Republic}, publisher = {IEEE}, doi = {10.1109/IVNC63480.2024.10652543}, pages = {1 -- 2}, abstract = {CMOS image sensors are utilized to determine the time- and spatially-resolved distribution of the electron emission of silicon field emission arrays. During initial experiments, rather low field emission currents already visibly damaged the sensor surface, altering the system accuracy over the measurement time. Therefore, we coated the sensor surface with copper for protection. In contrast to the original insulating surface, the Cu coating provides a conductive surface for incident electrons and improves heat dissipation in addition. This prevents localized surface charges and surface damages which stabilize the system accuracy.}, language = {en} } @article{BachmannDuesbergPahlkeetal., author = {Bachmann, Michael and D{\"u}sberg, Felix and Pahlke, Andreas and Edler, Simon and Schels, Andreas and Herdl, Florian and Hausladen, Matthias and Buchner, Philipp and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {The "LED-version" of the electron gun: An electron source for operation in ambient pressure environments based on silicon field emitter arrays}, series = {Vakuum in Forschung und Praxis}, volume = {35}, journal = {Vakuum in Forschung und Praxis}, number = {3}, publisher = {Wiley}, doi = {10.1002/vipr.202300801}, pages = {32 -- 37}, abstract = {We report on our progress to develop and optimize electron sources for practical applications. A simple fabrication process is introduced based on a wafer dicing saw and a wet chemical etch step without the need for a clean room. Due to the formation of crystal facets the samples show a homogeneous geometry throughout the array. Characterization techniques are developed to systematically compare various arrays. A very defined measurement procedure based on current controlled IV-sweeps as well as lifetime measurements at various currents is proposed. To investigate the current distribution in the array a commercial CMOS detector is used and shows the potential for in depth analysis of the arrays. Finally, a compact hermetically sealed housing is presented enabling electron generation in atmospheric pressure environments.}, language = {en} } @article{HausladenSchelsBuchneretal., author = {Hausladen, Matthias and Schels, Andreas and Buchner, Philipp and Bartl, Mathias and Asgharzade, Ali and Edler, Simon and Wohlfartsst{\"a}tter, Dominik and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Measurement of field emission array current distributions by metal-coated CMOS image sensors}, series = {Journal of Vacuum Science \& Technology B}, volume = {42}, journal = {Journal of Vacuum Science \& Technology B}, number = {6}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, doi = {10.1116/6.0004074}, abstract = {A CMOS image sensor is utilized to determine the time- and spatially resolved distribution of the total electron emission current of a silicon field emission array. The sensor measures electron emission without the need for phosphorus screens or scintillators as converters. However, in initial experiments, rather low field emission currents of several hundreds of nanoamperes per emitter already damaged the sensor surface, which altered the systems' signal response over the measurement time. In consequence, we coated the CMOS sensor surface with a Cu layer for surface protection. In contrast to the original insulating surface, Cu is an excellent current- and heat-conductor, which avoids lens charging by providing a conductive path for incident electrons and has an improved heat dissipation capability. Measurements using a segmented field emission cathode with four individually addressable tips demonstrate a consistent correlation between the emission current and the sensor signal of the metal-coated image sensor. Furthermore, the characterization of a field emission array showed that single tip emission currents of up to 12 μA per tip are measurable without discernible damage effects of the sensor's surface.}, language = {en} } @article{HausladenSchelsAsgharzadeetal., author = {Hausladen, Matthias and Schels, Andreas and Asgharzade, Ali and Buchner, Philipp and Bartl, Mathias and Wohlfartsst{\"a}tter, Dominik and Edler, Simon and Bachmann, Michael and Schreiner, Rupert}, title = {Investigation of Influencing Factors on the Measurement Signal of a CMOS Image Sensor for Measuring Field Emission Currents}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {25}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {5}, publisher = {MDPI}, doi = {10.3390/s25051529}, pages = {17}, language = {en} } @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} } @article{TanSchreinerHausladenetal., author = {Tan, Jing Jie and Schreiner, Rupert and Hausladen, Matthias and Asgharzade, Ali and Edler, Simon and Bartsch, Julian and Bachmann, Michael and Schels, Andreas and Kwan, Ban-Hoe and Ng, Danny Wee-Kiat and Hum, Yan-Chai}, title = {SiMiC: Context-aware silicon microstructure characterization using attention-based convolutional neural networks for field-emission tip analysis}, series = {Journal of Vacuum Science \& Technology B}, volume = {43}, journal = {Journal of Vacuum Science \& Technology B}, number = {6}, publisher = {AVS}, doi = {10.1116/6.0005068}, abstract = {Accurate characterization of silicon microstructures is essential for advancing microscale fabrication, quality control, and device performance. Traditional analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) often requires labor-intensive, manual evaluation of feature geometry, limiting throughput and reproducibility. In this study, we propose SiMiC: Context-aware Silicon Microstructure Characterization Using Attention-based Convolutional Neural Networks for Field-Emission Tip Analysis. By leveraging deep learning, our approach efficiently extracts morphological features—such as size, shape, and apex curvature—from SEM images, significantly reducing human intervention while improving measurement consistency. A specialized dataset of silicon-based field-emitter tips was developed, and a customized convolutional neural network architecture incorporating attention mechanisms was trained for multiclass microstructure classification and dimensional prediction. Comparative analysis with classical image processing techniques demonstrates that SiMiC achieves high accuracy while maintaining interpretability. The proposed framework establishes a foundation for data-driven microstructure analysis directly linked to field-emission performance, opening avenues for correlating emitter geometry with emission behavior and guiding the design of optimized cold-cathode and SEM electron sources. The related dataset and algorithm repository that could serve as a baseline in this area can be found at https://research.jingjietan.com/?q=SIMIC.}, language = {en} }