Novel nanoscale field emission structures: Fabrication technology, experimental, and calculated characteristics

The experimental and calculation characteristics for nanoscale field emission arrays (FEAs) fabricated on the basis of a new technology and with the tip packaging density of up to 4x10(10) tips/cm(2) have been given. The process of fabricating these structures is described. The I-V characteristics of the nanoscale FEAs, measured both in vacuum with the 300 mu m between electrode distance and in air at atmospheric pressure in the thin-film two-electrode device with the 150 nm between electrode distance, are given. By means of a modified computer program based on the method of nets and the "zooming" algorithm the electric field gain, the tip field, and the structure capacitance have been calculated. Their values correspond well to the experimental data obtained by measuring the structure capacitance and I-V characteristics. The calculation of the field has been done for two field emission arrays with the different typical geometry. The data experimentally obtained and calculated by us illustrate that further development of the new field emission nanostructure electronics seem to be very promising. (C) 1999 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(99)08602-3].