Silicon-FET-based field emission devices

The stability and controllability of field emission currents is an important issue in applications such as a field emission display. It is well known that the Fowler-Nordheim field emission is very sensitive to the work function of the emitter surface and the nano-meter structure of the emitter. The difficult control of these values brings the problem of the instability and non-uniformity of emission currents in field emitter arrays (FEAs). Spindt-type FEAs fabricated on glass substrates incorporate a resistive layer to improve the uniformity of the emission. An active device such as a field-effect-transistor (FET) is more effective for the improvement of the uniformity and stability. The gate of the FET can control the amount of emission current. Several researchers have reported the results of FET-controlled emitters, however, the fabrication process becomes complicated due to the additional process of the integration of FETs and FEAs.