Origin of the current saturation level of p-doped silicon field emitters

AbstractWe report an effective procedure for fabricating carbon nanotube emitters by directly synthesizing carbon nanotubes on an electrochemically sharpened tungsten tip. The nanotubes adhere very well to the tip of tungsten without any painting materials. Thermal cleaning of the tungsten tip under applied electric field reduced the number of nanotubes formed on the tip resulting in a single nanotube emitter. Electron field emission properties were investigated by employing a field emission microscope with a base pressure ~ 1 × 10-9 Torr. The emission images with respect to the applied field and time were obtained. Different emission images consisting of one to four lobes at different applied fields were observed. The characteristic of the emission current vs. applied voltage was analyzed. Applied potentials up to 3000 V were tested. The estimated field on the emitter was on the order of several tens of volts per nanometer. Our investigation suggests that at lower fields, the I-V characteristic of the nanotube emitter follows Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) emission behavior. At higher applied field, current saturation was observed.

Download Full-text

Current saturation mechanisms in carbon nanotube field emitters

Applied Physics Letters ◽

10.1063/1.125758 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 375-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 340

Author(s):

Kenneth A. Dean ◽

Babu R. Chalamala

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanotube ◽

Field Emitters ◽

Current Saturation

Download Full-text

FIELD EMISSION AND APPLICATION OF CARBON NANOTUBES

NANO ◽

10.1142/s1793292007000465 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 02 (02) ◽

pp. 69-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

SEONG CHU LIM ◽

KYU LEE ◽

IL HA LEE ◽

YOUNG HEE LEE

Keyword(s):

Carbon Nanotubes ◽

Field Emission ◽

Field Enhancement ◽

Current Status ◽

Field Emission Display ◽

X Ray ◽

Field Emitters ◽

Current Saturation ◽

Potential Applications ◽

Current Emission

The mechanism of field emission from a metal surface was well explained based on the quantum mechanics in early 20th century. Since then, various materials have been studied for field emitters. However, so far, we have been using only limited materials as a field emitter and an application in some area requires further scientific understandings and technological advancements. In this paper, we review the current status of researches in field emission and emission phenomena of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). This may include current saturation induced by gas adsorbates, screening effects, high current emission, degradation of emitter, and field enhancement factor. We also introduce the present status in the development of various CNT-based field emission devices and discuss their performances. In this part, various potential applications such as field emission display, ionization gauge, X-ray gun, and lamp will be presented.

Download Full-text

Characteristics and Application of Temperature-Field Emitters

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100114347 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 144-145

Author(s):

N. Tamura ◽

T. Goto ◽

Y. Harada

Keyword(s):

Temperature Field ◽

Electron Microscope ◽

Field Emission ◽

Resolving Power ◽

High Brightness ◽

Field Emitters ◽

Emission Electron ◽

Sufficient Stability ◽

Scanning Electron ◽

Illuminating System

On account of its high brightness, the field emission electron source has the advantage that it provides the conventional electron microscope with highly coherent illuminating system and that it directly improves the, resolving power of the scanning electron microscope. The present authors have reported some results obtained with a 100 kV field emission electron microscope.It has been proven, furthermore, that the tungsten emitter as a temperature field emission source can be utilized with a sufficient stability under a modest vacuum of 10-8 ~ 10-9 Torr. The present paper is concerned with an extension of our study on the characteristics of the temperature field emitters.

Download Full-text

Design of a Field-Emission Gun for the Phillips CM20/STEM microscope

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100134090 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 100-101

Author(s):

P.M. Mul ◽

B.J.M. Bormans ◽

L. Schaap

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Field Emission ◽

Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽

Emission Region ◽

Attractive Alternative ◽

Electron Holography ◽

Field Emitter ◽

Field Emitters ◽

Resolution Electron ◽

High Resolution Tem

The first Field Emission Guns (FEG) on TEM/STEM instruments were introduced by Philips in 1977. In the past decade these EM400-series microscopes have been very successful, especially in analytical electron microscopy, where the high currents in small probes are particularly suitable. In High Resolution Electron Holography, the high coherence of the FEG has made it possible to approach atomic resolution.Most of these TEM/STEM systems are based on a cold field emitter (CFE). There are, however, a number of disadvantages to CFE’s, because of their very small emission region: the maximum current is limited (a strong disadvantage for high-resolution TEM imaging) and the emission is unstable, requiring special measures to reduce the strong FEG-induced noise. Thermal field emitters (TFE), i.e. a zirconiated field emitter source operating in the thermal or Schottky mode, have been shown to be a viable and attractive alternative to CFE’s. TFE’s have larger emission regions, providing much higher maximum currents, better stability, and reduced sensitivity to vacuum conditions as well as mechanical and electrical interferences.

Download Full-text

High-resolution transmission electron microscopic study of highly oxygen doped silicon layer

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100155438 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 692-693

Author(s):

H. Takaoka ◽

M. Tomita ◽

T. Hayashi

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Oxygen Concentration ◽

Silicon Layer ◽

Detailed Structure ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Doped Silicon ◽

Argon Ion

High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is the effective technique for characterization of detailed structure of semiconductor materials. Oxygen is one of the important impurities in semiconductors. Detailed structure of highly oxygen doped silicon has not clearly investigated yet. This report describes detailed structure of highly oxygen doped silicon observed by HRTEM. Both samples prepared by Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and ion implantation were observed to investigate effects of oxygen concentration and doping methods to the crystal structure.The observed oxygen doped samples were prepared by MBE method in oxygen environment on (111) substrates. Oxygen concentration was about 1021 atoms/cm3. Another sample was silicon of (100) orientation implanted with oxygen ions at an energy of 180 keV. Oxygen concentration of this sample was about 1020 atoms/cm3 Cross-sectional specimens of (011) orientation were prepared by argon ion thinning and were observed by TEM at an accelerating voltage of 400 kV.

Download Full-text

Determination of arsenic atom distribution arsenic doped silicon using HOLZ-line analysis

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100167342 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 976-977

Author(s):

Y. Kikuchi ◽

N. Hashikawa ◽

F. Uesugi ◽

E. Wakai ◽

K. Watanabe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inelastic Scattering ◽

Zone Axis ◽

Experimental Result ◽

Background Intensity ◽

Crystal Thickness ◽

Arsenic Atom ◽

Doped Silicon ◽

P Type ◽

Line Analysis

In order to measure the concentration of arsenic atoms in nanometer regions of arsenic doped silicon, the HOLZ analysis is carried out underthe exact [011] zone axis observation. In previous papers, it is revealed that the position of two bright lines in the outer SOLZ structures on the[011] zone axis is little influenced by the crystal thickness and the background intensity caused by inelastic scattering electrons, but is sensitive to the concentration of As atoms substitutbnal for Siatomic site.As the result, it becomes possible to determine the concentration of electrically activated As atoms in silicon within an observed area by means of the simple fitting between experimental result and dynamical simulatioan. In the present work, in order to investigate the distribution of electrically activated As in silicon, the outer HOLZ analysis is applied using a nanometer sized probe of TEM equipped with a FEG.Czodiralsld-gown<100>orientated p-type Si wafers with a resistivity of 10 Ώ cm are used for the experiments.TheAs+ implantation is performed at a dose of 5.0X1015cm-2at 25keV.

Download Full-text

Preparation of integrated circuits for TEM electromigration in situ studies

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100145753 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 882-883

Author(s):

J. V. Maskowitz ◽

W. E. Rhoden ◽

D. R. Kitchen ◽

R. E. Omlor ◽

P. F. Lloyd

Keyword(s):

Integrated Circuits ◽

Crystallographic Orientation ◽

Silicon Wafers ◽

Minimum Size ◽

Test Vehicle ◽

In Situ Studies ◽

Boron Doped ◽

Doped Silicon ◽

Drill Holes

The fabrication of the aluminum bridge test vehicle for use in the crystallographic studies of electromigration involves several photolithographic processes, some common, while others quite unique. It is most important to start with a clean wafer of known orientation. The wafers used are 7 mil thick boron doped silicon. The diameter of the wafer is 1.5 inches with a resistivity of 10-20 ohm-cm. The crystallographic orientation is (111).Initial attempts were made to both drill and laser holes in the silicon wafers then back fill with photoresist or mounting wax. A diamond tipped dentist burr was used to successfully drill holes in the wafer. This proved unacceptable in that the perimeter of the hole was cracked and chipped. Additionally, the minimum size hole realizable was > 300 μm. The drilled holes could not be arrayed on the wafer to any extent because the wafer would not stand up to the stress of multiple drilling.

Download Full-text