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A compact vacuum-sealed field emission electron gun with an operation voltage below 5 kV is presented. With a 150 nm thick pyrolytic carbon membrane, a transmission of 40% at 5 kV is obtained. For more than 2500 h of continuous operation at an emission current of 100 nA, no significant increase (<50V ) and almost no degradation were found. From this measurement, a lifetime of more than 10 000 h at continuous operation with approximately a linear increase of the extraction voltage from about 545 V to about 730 V is predicted. This electron source enables application of field emitter arrays in poor vacuum or even ambient pressure.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy under Project No. ZF4081502GM8. C.P., R.L., M.H., and R.S. were supported by Grant No. ZF4562901GM8.
Advanced Si-based semiconductor technology is most suitable to fabricate uniform nanostructures as integrated field emitter arrays for novel vacuum electronic devices. In order to improve the field emission homogeneity and stability of p-type silicon tip arrays for pulsed sensor applications, the authors have systematically studied the influence of the fabrication parameters on the tip shape and on the specific operating conditions. Based on detailed design calculations of the field enhancement, they have fabricated two series of hexagonal arrays of B-doped Si-tips in a triangular arrangement. The first (second) type contains three (four) patches with different number of tips (1, 91, 547 and 1, 19, 1027, 4447 for the first and second type, respectively) of about 1 (2.5) μm height, ∼20 (20) nm apex radius, and 20 (10) μm pitch. The field emission properties of both individual tips and complete arrays were investigated with a field emission scanning microscope at a pressure of 10−9 mbar. The current plateau of these tips typically occurs at about 10 (3) nA and around 65 (25) V/μm field level. In this carrier saturation range, single tips provide the highest current stability (<5%) and optical current switching ratio (∼2.5). Fairly homogeneous emission of the tip arrays leads to an undershooting of the expected linear scaling of the mean plateau current as well as to a much improved current stability (<1%).
We report on the simulation and fabrication of nanostructured silicon surfaces for field emission (FE) applications, e.g. ionization sensors and x-ray tubes. For the design and optimization of field-emitting silicon structures, the influence of the geometric parameters like tip height, apex radius, aperture angle and curvature shape on the field enhancement factor was investigated by simulation using finite element method. A universal geometric model which describes the real geometry of our silicon structures sufficiently accurate was taken for modeling a variety of different silicon tip structures as well as ridge structures. While a high dependency of the field enhancement on the aspect ratio and the aperture angle was found, the simulations show that the elliptic curvature affects the field enhancement only marginally. Finally, an improved process for fabrication of such silicon structures on n-type as well as p-type substrate is described, using reactive ion etching with adjustable anisotropy, wet thermal oxidation and wet etching.
The components for a silicon chip electron source were fabricated by laser micromachining using pulsed laser ablation and wet chemical cleaning and etching dips. The field emission electron source consists of a silicon field emission cathode with 4 × 4 conical shaped emitters with a height of 250 μm and a tip radius of about 50 nm, a 50 μm thick laser-structured mica spacer, and a silicon grid electrode with a grid periodicity of 200 μm and a bar width of 50 μm. These three components are combined to a single chip with the size of 14 × 10 mm2 and the thickness of 1 mm to form the electron source. Several of these devices were characterized in ultrahigh vacuum. Onset voltages of about 165 V and cathode currents of about 15 μA for voltages lower than 350 V were observed. Operating the electron source with an anode voltage of 500 V and an extraction grid voltage of 300 V yielded a cathode current of 4.5 μA ± 8.9%, an anode current of 4.0 μA ± 9.6%, and a corresponding grid transmittance of 89%. Regulating the anode current by the extraction grid voltage, an extremely stable anode current of 5.0 μA ± 0.017% was observed. A long-term measurement over 120 h was performed, and no significant degradation or failure was observed.
To optimize the measurement range of thermal conductivity vacuum gauges, an expression for the sensitivity is required that takes into account all geometrical, material-specific, and operating parameters. Therefore, equations of the sensor output signal as a function of the pressure for the constant current and the constant temperature mode have been developed analytically. Based on these equations, the sensitivity of the vacuum gauge and its influencing parameters was investigated and discussed. For comparable conditions, the constant temperature operation shows a significantly higher sensitivity for high pressures, while the constant current operation shows higher sensitivity at low pressures. The sensitivity in both the constant current and the constant temperature mode depends on the ratio of the filament surface area and the parasitic thermal conductance. In addition, for the constant current operation, the sensitivity also depends on the current value and the temperature coefficient of the filament resistor. For the constant temperature operation, the sensitivity additionally depends on the distance of the filament and the reference plane. However, to extend the measurement range of a thermal conductivity vacuum gauge toward low pressures, a reduction of the parasitic thermal conductance is mandatory for both the constant current and the constant temperature mode.
We report on a method to stabilize the transmitted electron flux in a field-emission electron source using an external regulation circuit. The electron source was realized with an array of silicon (Si) nanowhiskers on the top of elongated pillar structures, a mica spacer, and an extraction grid made of Si. As for most applications, the emitted electron current from the cathode is not as crucial as the transmitted electron flux through the extraction grid toward the anode. We investigated a method which allows the regulation directly by the emitted electron flux and not merely on the cathode current. By using this method, we were able to stabilize the emitted electron flux of our electron source down to values below 1%. Simultaneously, it was shown that there is the possibility to stabilize the influencing value in the real application as well. The effectiveness of this method was demonstrated successfully with an X-ray source setup. The measured X-ray photon count rate was stabilized to a standard deviation of 0.30% at a pressure of 1 × 10 -7 mbar. Even in harsh environment of 2 × 10 -5 mbar, a stabilization of the X-ray photon count rate down to a value of 0.63% was achieved.
We have investigated the properties of black Si field emitter arrays under strong electric fields and laser illumination. A low onset field of 1.8 MV/m for an emission current of 1 nA was obtained. A pronounced saturation region of the dark and photo-enhanced current was observed, which provided a short-term stability of 0.1% at 0.4 μA and 0.7% at 1.0 μA, respectively. As maximum value for the photosensitivity, an on-off current switching ratio of 43 reaching about 13 μA was achieved at a laser power of 15 mW. Electron spectra in the dark and under laser illumination are presented, showing a current and light-sensitive voltage drop across the emitters as well as hints for hot electron emission.
Accurate detection of hydrogen gas in vehicle interiors is very important for the future of a fuel cell car. Since this type of gas is highly volatile and flammable, the measurement methods have to be very reliable and precise due to safety reasons. In this paper a thermal conductivity sensor for hydrogen gas detection is presented, exhibiting a lower detection limit of 2000 ppm hydrogen in laboratory air. The sensor element is realized by micro-fabrication techniques on silicon wafers. The heated filament is exposed by a selective wet etching process creating a micro-hotplate on a thin membrane. In order to minimize power consumption, the sensor is operated in pulsed mode. Hydrogen gas detection was carried out using a synthetic gas testbench. Measurements of hydrogen contents ranging from 0% to 4% with an increment of 0.5% were successfully performed for ambient gas temperatures between -15°C and 84°C. Including humidity, high moisture contents have the greatest influence on thermal conductivity. This was predicted in theoretical investigations and confirmed in experiments. For evaluation, both the change in resistance ΔR as well as the time constant τ were taken as sensor output. For both quantities, the previously established theoretical relationship with thermal conductivity could be confirmed.
The authors report on the fabrication and characterization of p-type Si tip arrays with an integrated gate electrode for applications as field emission electron sources. After the reactive ion etching of the emitters, the combined thermal dry and wet oxidation was used for both the sharpening of the emitters and for the realization of an enhanced insulation layer. Au was evaporated in a self-aligned process as gate electrode. Arrays of 16 Si tips were fabricated with tip heights of about 3 μm and tip radii of about 20 nm with integrated gate electrode concentrically positioned ≈2 μm below the tip apex. Integral measurements with an additional anode showed improved field emission properties with a reproducible and stable emission behavior. A fast activation of the tips, low onset voltages of about 30 V, and moderate field emission currents up to 0.55 μA were noticed. The field emission parameters were calculated using the Fowler–Nordheim characteristics. A pronounced saturation regime was observed, and current fluctuations of less than ±1% were investigated for 30 min. Long-term measurements were carried out for a period of more than 8 h. In the first 6 h of operation, the authors observed a drift of the emission current from 0.35 to 0.55 μA caused by an increased emission surface.
Influence of adsorbates on the performance of a field emitter array in a high voltage triode setup
(2017)
In the present work, black-silicon field emitter arrays (FEAs) are investigated regarding the influence of residual gas pressure on the characteristics and lifetime in the high voltage triode setup. Current-voltage-characteristics at different pressure levels are recorded and show a decreasing emission current with rising pressure. This decrease can be explained by an increase of the work function and charging of the emitter surface caused by adsorbates. The emission current can be restored to its initial value by heating of the FEA up to 110 °C during active emission. With this regeneration procedure, an extended lifetime from about 20 h to 440 h at a residual gas pressure of 10−5 mbar is achieved.
The homogeneity of emitters is very important for the performance of field emission (FE) devices. Reactive-ion etching (RIE) and oxidation have significant influences on the geometry of silicon tips. The RIE influences mainly the anisotropy of the emitters. Pressure has a strong impact on the anisotropic factor. Reducing the pressure results in a higher anisotropy, but the etch rate is also lower. A longer time of etching compensates this effect. Furthermore an improvement of homogeneity was observed. The impact of uprating is quite low for the anisotropic factor, but significant for the homogeneity. At low power the height and undercut of the emitters are more constant over the whole wafer. The oxidation itself is very homogeneous and has no observable effect on further variation of the homogeneity. This modified fabrication process allows solving the problem of inhomogeneity of previous field emission arrays.
The homogeneity of emitters is very important for the performance of field emission (FE) devices. Reactive-ion etching (RIE) and oxidation have significant influences on the geometry of silicon tips. The RIE influences mainly the anisotropy of the emitters. Pressure has a strong impact on the anisotropic factor. Reducing the pressure results in a higher anisotropy, but the etch rate is also lower. A longer time of etching compensates this effect. Furthermore an improvement of homogeneity was observed. The impact of uprating is quite low for the anisotropic factor, but significant for the homogeneity. At low power the height and undercut of the emitters are more constant over the whole wafer. The oxidation itself is very homogeneous and has no observable effect on further variation of the homogeneity. This modified fabrication process allows solving the problem of inhomogeneity of previous field emission arrays.
Silicon-based cathodes with precisely aligned field emitter arrays of sharp tips applicable for miniaturized electron sources were successfully fabricated and characterized. This was made possible by an improved fabrication process using wet thermal oxidation, wet etching, and reactive-ion etching steps with adjustable anisotropy. As substrate materials, both p-doped silicon and n-doped silicon were used. The cathode chips contain about 3 × 10 5 Si tips/cm 2 in a triangular array with tip heights of 2.5 μm, tip radii of less than 30 nm, and spacing of 20 μm. Well-aligned field emission (FE) and excellent homogeneity from all tips (i.e., 100% efficiency) and maximum stable currents of typically 0.1 μA (0.6 μA) for p (n)-type Si were reproducibly achieved. The current-voltage characteristics of the p-Si tips exhibit the expected saturation at around 10 nA with around ten times better current stability, whereas the n-Si tips show the usual Fowler-Nordheim behavior. Additional coating of the Si tips with 5-nm Cr and 10-nm Au layers resulted in improved stability and at least five times higher average FE current limits (about 3 μA) at about 30% higher operation voltage.
Arrays of black silicon field emission pillar structures were fabricated on p-type silicon substrates. Two types of samples with the same number of pillars (arrays of 10 × 10) but different pillar heights (8 and 20 μm) were prepared as well as a black silicon reference sample without pillars. The field emission properties of these cathodes were investigated both by means of integral current-voltage measurements and by field emission scanning microscopy. Samples with a pillar height of 20 μm revealed onset fields as low as 6.4 V/μm, field enhancement factors up to 800, and emission currents up to 8 μA at an applied field of 20 V/μm. Due to the p-type material, a saturation of the emission current for fields above 11 V/μm was observed. This saturation leads to a stable operation with a current fluctuation of less than ±8%. It was found that samples with a pillar height of 20 μm showed improved emission characteristics compared to samples with a pillar height of 8 μm or without pillars. The voltage maps revealed an increased emission homogeneity after a “burn-in” sequence of the sample. The current map showed that a few of the pillars dominate the emission. Integral current stability measurements were performed under different vacuum pressures, in order to investigate altered emission behavior and a potential degradation of the emitters. At pressures above 10−6 mbar, the sample starts to degrade irreversibly. Nevertheless, even after a harsh treatment over 30 min at 5 × 10−5 mbar and at an applied field of 23 V/μm, the cathode was still operating, and did not fail during further operation over 20 h at 5 × 10−8 mbar and at an applied field of 28 V/μm.
Field emission characterization of in situ deposited gold nanocones with variable cone densities
(2018)
For the fabrication of field emitter cathodes with metallic nanocones, an in situ fabrication technique based on electrodeposition in an ion track etched polymer template was used. Three samples with nanocones made of gold and different cone densities were deposited on a circular electrode with a diameter of 2.5 mm, using templates with pore density of 6 × 104, 4 × 105, and 1 × 106 cones/cm2. The cones had a height of 24 μm, a base diameter between 3 and 3.75 μm, and a tip diameter below 500 nm. Integral field emission measurements revealed onset fields of down to 3.1 V/μm and average field enhancement factors of up to 1240. For one sample, the maximum emission current from the cathode reached 142.2 μA at an applied voltage of 338 V between cathode and extraction grid, which had a distance of 50 μm. To investigate the stability of the field emission current, cumulative long-term measurements were performed for over 50 h. A stable emission current of (31.0 ± 1.3) μA at an average applied voltage of 290 V (E = 5.8 V/μm) was observed. For currents above 100 μA, a decrease of the current and therefore a degradation of the emitter structures occurred.
At the moment, only complicated techniques are known for the determination of array properties of field emitter arrays such as the number of active tips, the current distribution, or the individual tip radii. In this work, a method for extracting these parameters from integral measurement data is presented. A model describing the characteristics of a single emitter, including the saturation as a function of the applied voltage and the emitter radius, is developed. It is shown that experimental data of field emitter arrays can be represented as the sum of these functions and the characteristic parameters can be fitted to field emission data of an array. Using this method, the values of the radii as well as the parameters of distribution models can be determined directly. Analysis of experimental data from p-type Si emitter arrays shows that only 1–2% of the tips contribute significantly.
Extraction of the characteristics of current-limiting elements from field emission measurement data
(2017)
In this contribution, the authors will present an algorithm to extract the characteristics of nonideal field emission circuit elements from saturation-limited field emission measurement data. The method for calculating the voltage drop on current-limiting circuit elements is based on circuit theory as well as Newton's method. Since the only assumption the authors make on the current-limiting circuit is a connection in series, this method is applicable to most field emission data showing saturation. To be able to determine the significance of any parameter output, the uncertainties of data and extracted parameters as well as the parameter correlations are fully taken into account throughout the algorithm. N-type silicon samples with varying external serial resistors are analyzed. All results show a good agreement to the nominal resistor values. Additionally, several p-type samples are analyzed, showing a diodelike behavior. The extracted current-limiting characteristics of the p-type samples are in good agreement with a pn-junction model. The stability of the emission current of the p-type samples is measured by constant voltage measurements and compared to the extracted current-limiting characteristics. The application of the algorithm to measurement data shows that the given algorithm is a valuable tool to analyze field emission measurement data influenced by nonemissive processes.
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.
The field electron emission characteristics of individual tips of a silicon field emitter array are analyzed. The array of conical‐shaped tips is fabricated on a p‐type silicon wafer by using reactive ion etching and sharpening oxidation. The tips are decorated with single tungsten nanoparticles at their apexes. Furthermore, the focused ion beam is also used to increase surface conductivity of some of the tips. Comparative measurements of field emission are performed by using the scanning anode probe field emission microscopy technique. All types of tips demonstrated emission activation consisting of a sudden current increase at a certain value of the applied voltage. Compared to the pristine tips, a noticeable reduction of the saturation effect in the current–voltage characteristics and a smaller light sensitivity for the decorated tips is found. For ion‐treated tips, saturation effects and light sensitivity are completely suppressed. Scanning electron microscopy observations reveal the formation of single nanoscale protrusions extending from the metal particles and from the apexes of bare ion‐treated tips after exposure under strong electric fields during the field emission measurements. The influence of protrusions growth on characteristics of silicon field emitter arrays is discussed.