New Fabrication Method and Electrical Characteristics of Conical Silicon Field Emitters

Abstract

A new fabrication method for a silicon field emitter has been proposed, which combines the techniques of Si KOH anisotropic etching and local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) to form the emitter tip. The fabricated conical silicon emitter had an extremely well-defined structure indicative of good reproducibility and uniformity of the fabrication process. The emission characteristics were examined under DC and AC conditions, and indicated high performance of the emitter. Successful application to a digit display has been demonstrated.