Field Emission Properties of Nanostructured Silicon Cathode Arrays

Abstract

The fabrication method of field electron sources using the atomic structure of silicon crystals and the processes of heterophase vacuum-plasma self-organization of island carbon coatings and highly anisotropic plasma-chemical etching under low adsorption is theoretically justified and experimentally implemented. The interrelation of the morphological and field emission characteristics of fabricated field emission cathodic microstructures is established. The experimental results are interpreted using the Fowler-Nordheim representation in connection with the changes of the surface phases of multipoint silicon microstructures.