Fabrication of gated niobium nitride field emitter array

We have fabricated a gated niobium nitride field emitter by the transfer mold method. A silicon mold was fabricated by anisotropical etching, followed by oxidation of the mold and deposition of niobium nitride. Niobium nitride thin films were prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition. After attaching the sample to a glass substrate, the silicon mold was removed by mechanical and wet etching. A molybdenum thin film was then deposited by electron-beam evaporation. Formation of a gate aperture and an insulating silicon dioxide layer were performed by wet etching of only the apex, with other regions being protected by a photoresist layer. An electron emission test of the fabricated emitter array was performed in a high vacuum. We confirmed electron emission of up to 0.1 muA at the emitter-gate voltage of 30 V. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.