Silicon field emitter arrays (FEAs) have been fabricated with a unique orientation dependent etching process and oxidation sharpening process to produce uniform and reproducible single point gated structures. Electron emission currents from these single silicon field emitters have exceeded 20 microamperes with extraction gate voltages less than 200 V. These pyramidal field emitters have a 'cone' angle of about 70 degrees with a tip radius of curvature of about 100 angstroms. The gate metallization has been formed from a variety of materials, notably platinum and polysilicon. Similar electron emission results have been operated continually in an unbaked vacuum system in the multi-microampere regime for over 600 hours without a change in their emission properties. Significant numbers of individually addressed field emitters can be fabricated on small silicon chips, and many chips can be fabricated on a silicon wafer, thereby making the cost per chip reasonably low. Microstructural Einzel lenses have also been fabricated with 5 pole electrodes as well as arrays of deflectors. The combination of the technology of microstructural field emission and microstructural lenses and deflectors offer a unique opportunity for nanolithography, novel devices, and electron/ion microscopy. Microstructurally Integrated Lens and Emitter Systems (MILES) offer the potential for massively parallel electron beam applications and electron/ion source redundancy.

Date Published: 9 July 1992
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 1671, Electron-Beam, X-Ray, and Ion-Beam Submicrometer Lithographies for Manufacturing II, (9 July 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.136023

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1671:
Electron-Beam, X-Ray, and Ion-Beam Submicrometer Lithographies for Manufacturing II
Martin C. Peckerar, Editor(s)