Fabrication And Characterization Of Bulk Molybdenum Field Emission Arrays

This paper reports a simple technology for fabricating high aspect ratio (>10) field emission tips directly in molybdenum substrate by fluorine inductive-coupled-plasma (ICP) etching for the first time. Compared to the traditional Spindt array, the film interface is eliminated, and the device exhibits a low turn-on electric field of 1.21V/mu m. Arrays of 1,000,000 tips with 10 mu m pitch are employed to emit currents of 140 mu A at electric field strength of 5.48V/mu m. A stable, uniform emission was observed in a field emission display. With better conductivity and thermal conductivity, the Mo-FEAs are very promising for long-term and continuous emission.