Atomically sharp silicon and metal field emitters

Abstract

A method is described for forming atomically sharp silicon tips of less than 10-15 degrees half-angle by utilizing a known oxidation inhibition at regions of high curvature; equally sharp silicon wedges are now made in a similar fashion. The sharp silicon tips serve as the starting point for forming sharp tips of W, beta -W and gold. Field emission data from silicon emitters are compared with Fowler-Nordheim modelling and emission as a function of emitter-anode distance is described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>