Emission characteristics of MIM tunnel cathodes

The MIM tunneling cathode has a planer structure, which may have an advantage in application to flat panel displays. The emission characteristics are experimentally examined. It was shown by making use of an emission microscope that the cathode operated very uniformly. It is also revealed that the energy distribution of the emitted electron was about 1 eV. The most pressing problems of this cathode are the low level of the emission cathode and the very short life time. To overcome these difficulties, it may be necessary to find a suitable insulating film, which would give a barrier height larger than that of the work function of the metal electrode.