Improving electron emission properties of SiC layers by introducing electrically conductive clusters using ion implantation

In this work, we demonstrate improvement of the FE properties of IBS SiC layers by introducing electrically conductive clusters inside the layer. We synthesised SiC layers using carbon ion implantation, at an extraction voltage of 35 kV, on Si substrates with stoichiometric excess carbon doses and hence created SiC layers on the surface. This surface layer had embedded conductive graphitic carbon clusters as observed from the conducting atomic force micrograph.