Field-Emission from Finely Nicked Structures on n-Type Silicon Substrate Formed by Sandblasting Process

Finely textured structures on a silicon surface were fabricated to act as field emitters via simple sandblasting using fine Al2O3 particles. Tests confirmed that the finely nicked structures function well as efficient field emitters. The emission current obeys the Fowler-Nordheim relationship, with a low electric field threshold. The fluctuation of the emission current was inversely proportional to the square root of the average emission current, and the long-term drift of the emission current was about 1% per hour at the average emission current of 108µA in the pressure range of 10-5Pa, indicating that the emitter offers a stable current output.