Hydrogen plasma dry etching method for field emission application

The ability to fabricate large-area, uniform emitters is an important factor in many vacuum microelectronics applications, especially for field emission displays. In this letter, we measured the field emission properties of uniform silicon nanowire emitters prepared by hydrogen plasma etching using in situ high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and a tungsten anode of 1 mu m diameter. Our results indicate that the field emission properties are improved upon increasing the etching time; this process sharpens the nanowires' geometry and lowers their work function. These highly uniform (with respect to length, diameter, and distribution) nanowires display great potential for application within many field emission nanoelectronics devices. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.