Self-aligned Si gate field emitter arrays using the transfer mold technique

Transfer mold type field emitter arrays which integrate a novel self-aligned Si gate have been fabricated. Applying the self-limiting Si etching technique, a part of the Si-mold substrate was preserved for the gate structure to simplify the gate fabrication process and to improve the gate aperture shape reproducibility. The gate aperture (D-g) was precisely controlled and a minimum D-g of 0.15 mu m was achieved with conventional photolithography techniques. Also, D-g could be widely varied by changing only the size of the emitter mold, and the relationship between D-g and the emission threshold gate voltage (V-th) under identical emitter tip conditions was studied. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(98)05202-0].