The field emitter triode as a displacement/pressure sensor

Abstract

By operating the field emitter triode in the collector-assisted field emission mode, a strong dependency of the collector current as a function of emitter-to-collector distance is obtained. This property can be used in the construction of displacement and/or pressure sensors. Experimental results are presented for a silicon emitter array. These include displacement measurements under DC and AC conditions, sensitivity, and temperature dependency from room temperature to 200 degrees C. From experimental data, model parameters for the Fowler-Nordheim equation are deduced. These parameters can then be used to calculate the performance of the device as a function of gate and collector voltages and of deflection.