Open AccessLow voltage field emission of single Cu nanowire in air with nanoscale gaps for vacuum electronics
Author(s) -
Liu Meng,
Yang Yang,
Li Tie,
Wang Yuelin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mnl.2017.0411
Subject(s) - field electron emission , common emitter , cathode , anode , materials science , optoelectronics , nanowire , field emission display , work function , voltage , electrode , nanoscopic scale , etching (microfabrication) , nanotechnology , electrical engineering , physics , engineering , electron , quantum mechanics , layer (electronics)
Field emission applications to date including displays have featured electrode gaps in the micron scale or even larger. Devices such as vacuum field effect transistors demand smaller gaps for improved performance and continued scaling. The present work investigates nanoscale cathode–anode distances and evaluated field emission characteristics using a single Cu emitter. The gap was systematically varied between 20 and 80 nm with the aid of focused ion beam etching. Field emission was achieved at bias voltages below 5 V under atmospheric conditions with a 20 nm gap between the cathode and anode. The turn‐on voltage was 1.75 V and the maximum current reached 32.5 nA at 5 V. The emission current is dependent on the cathode–anode distance and decreases exponentially with increasing distance. The nanoscale gap allows lower drive voltages than in previous studies while providing large emission currents for a single emitter.