CHARACTERIZATION OF P-TYPE SILICON FIELD EMITTERS

The saturation current phenomenon of a p-type silicon field emitter is reported and the mechanism of this phenomenon is proposed. The current-voltage characteristics of these field emitters using n-type silicon follow the Fowler-Nordheim relationship. However, the emission current of the emitters using p-type silicon is saturated in a high field region, because maximum emission electrons are restricted by the electron generation rate at the surface. The saturation current is observed on the emitters with HF treatment, but it not without HF treatment. These results indicate that the saturation current depends on the surface state density.