Nanometer scale thin-film-edge emitter devices with high current density characteristics

We report the demonstration of thin-film-edge emitter devices with reproducible high current density characteristics. The demonstrated devices include both diodes and triodes with thin film emitters, anodes and control electrodes on the same wafer. Contrasted with the usual vertical FEA structures, this particular triode design invokes two dimensional vertical symmetry for the extraction electrodes using multi-layer thin-film deposition and patterning techniques. Emission currents as high as 400 mu A per edge have been demonstrated and current densities as high as 10 mu A/ mu m of edge width.<>