Cold field electron emitters based on silicon carbide structures
AssigneesNational Institute of Standards and Technology, University of Maryland
InventorsFred Sharifi, Henry Lezec, Myung-Gyu Kang
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Abstract
A cold cathode field emission electron source capable of emission at levels comparable to thermal sources is described. Emission in excess of 6 A/cm2 at 7.5 V/μm is demonstrated in a macroscopic emitter array. The emitter has a monolithic and rigid porous semiconductor nanostructure with uniformly distributed emission sites, and is fabricated through a room temperature process which allows for control of emission properties. These electron sources can be used in a wide range of applications, including microwave electronics and x-ray imaging for medicine and security.
Claims3
A field emitter having a plurality of discrete emission projections extending from an emission face of the field emitter, the field emitter being monolithic and homogenous in a direction transverse to the emission face of the field emitter, the field emitter being porous and including silicon carbide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.