Paul J. Benning

Polysilicon metal-insulator-semiconductor electron emitter

The flat metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) electron emitter is a simple design, allowing easy manufacture. The emitters are relatively insensitive to environment, allowing them to operate in poorer vacuum conditions than are necessary for oxide thermionic or microtip field emitters. In most literature reports, MIS and metal-insulator-metal devices are limited in emission current ( 400pores∕μm2 through which electrons a...

Field emitter with focusing column for atomic resolution storage device

This paper discussed the design and development and fabrication of a focusable electron emitter for atomic resolution storage. The system design includes an electron source with an integrated focusing column and must provide a minimum spot size and maximum efficiency under optimum conditions. Experimental results from the fabricated parts compared well with model spot size predictions.

Micromachined printhead for the patterning of organic materials and metals

This paper describes the design, fabrication and testing of an electrostatically actuated microshutter used as an active shadow mask to pattern evaporated materials. The microshutter and its comb-drive actuator are built on the device layer of an SOI wafer. Deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) is used to pattern both the device layer and etch a through-wafer hole through which the evaporated materials travel. The actuation voltage of the device is about 30 volts, its resonant frequency is several kHz. The microshutter integrated with an x-y-z manipulator was used to print patterns of organic material and metal on glass substrates in vacuum with a resolution of 30 microns. This printing scheme could enable the patterning of large area organic optoelectronic devices on diverse substrates.

Novel flat MIS electron emitter

The flat metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) electron emitter is a simple design allowing easy manufacture, and is relatively insensitive to environment conditions making operation possible in poor vacuum conditions. A stack of 5000 /spl Aring/ polysilicon/150 /spl Aring/ silicon oxide/50 /spl Aring/ gold deposited on n++ doped silicon showed the best performance. We have observed emission current densities as high as 2-10 A/cm/sup 2/ at efficiencies from 3-10%. The polysilicon serves a dual role. Bumps on the poly surface act as field-enhanced emission sites while the bulk of the film behaves as a ballast resistor that prevents run away emission from any one emission site. The thin gold layer self-assembles into a nano-mesh with >100 pores//spl mu/m/sup 2/ through which electrons escape. Emission theory, including energy distribution and angular divergence of the emitted beams, are discussed.