Abstract

Electron field emission from an array of patterned pyramids of polycrystalline diamond for vacuum diode applications has been investigated. High current emission from the patterned diamond microtip arrays are obtained at low electric fields. A current density from the diamond microtips of 14mA/cm² was observed for a field of <10 V/μm. Field emission for these diamond microtips exhibits significant enhancement both in total emission current and stability compared to pure silicon emitters. Moreover, field emission from patterned polycrystalline diamond pyramidal tip arrays is unique in that the applied field is found to be lower (2-3 order of magnitude lower) compared to that required for emission from Si, Ge, GaAs, and metal surfaces. The fabrication process utilizing silicon shaping and micromachining techniques for the fabrication of diamond diaphragms with diamond microtip arrays for vacuum microelectronic applications has been developed. The processing techniques are compatible with IC fabrication technology. The effect of temperature annealing on the current emission characteristics were also investigated.

© 1995 Optical Society of America