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High aspect ratio silicon tip cathodes for application in field emission electron sources

  • 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.

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Metadaten
Author:Christoph LangerORCiD, Robert Damian ŁawrowskiORCiD, Christian PrommesbergerORCiD, Florian Dams, Pavel Serbun, Michael BachmannORCiD, Günter Müller, Rupert SchreinerORCiDGND
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/IVNC.2014.6894824
Parent Title (English):2014 27th International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference (IVNC), 6-10 July 2014, Engelberg, Switzerland
Publisher:IEEE
Document Type:conference proceeding (article)
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2014
Release Date:2022/05/26
Tag:Current measurement; Etching; FABRICATION; GEOMETRY; Iron; Sensor arrays; field emission; field emitter array; silicon; silicon tip
First Page:222
Last Page:223
Institutes:Fakultät Angewandte Natur- und Kulturwissenschaften
Fakultät Angewandte Natur- und Kulturwissenschaften / Labor Mikrosensorik
Begutachtungsstatus:peer-reviewed
research focus:Sensorik
Licence (German):Keine Lizenz - Es gilt das deutsche Urheberrecht: § 53 UrhG