Vacuum field emission from a Si-TaSi2 semiconductor-metal eutectic composite

Abstract

We report on measurements of vacuum field emission from ungated field emission cathode arrays fabricated from Si-TaSi2 eutectic composite wafers. The Si-TaSi2 material is an ideal candidate for large area field emission array cathodes due to the large density of TaSi2 fibers incorporated into the Si matrix, the high melting point of the TaSi2 material, the ease with which single-crystal large diameter (2.5 cm) material can be fabricated, and the promise of integrability of the field emission array with conventional Si technology through the use of epitaxial Si layers grown on the cathode backplane.