Active-matrix nanocrystalline Si electron emitter array for massively parallel direct-write electron-beam system: first results of the performance evaluation

We present a prototype electron emitter array integrated with an active-matrix driving large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) for a high-speed massively parallel direct-write electron-beam (e-beam) system. In addition, we describe the results of a performance evaluation of it as an electron source for massively parallel operations. The electron source is a nanocrystalline Si (nc-Si) ballistic surface electron emitter in which a 1: 1 projection of the e-beam can resolve patterns 30 nm wide. The electron-emitting part of the device consists of an array of nc-Si dots fabricated on an SOI or Si substrate and through silicon via (TSV) plugs connected to the dots from the back of the substrate. The device consists of an aligned joint of TSV plugs with driving pads on the active-matrix LSI. Electron emissions are driven by the LSI and are boosted to an appropriate level using a built-in voltage level shifter in accordance with a bitmap image preliminarily stored in the embedded memory. Electron emissions from a test array work as intended, showing the possibility of switching on and off the beamlets by changing the CMOS-compatible voltage. (C) 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JMM.11.3.031406]