Patent · US Expired

Field-emitter having a sharp apex and small-apertured gate and method for fabricating emitter

US5494179A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
2References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 15, 1994
Grant dateFeb 27, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 15, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2201/319
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention is a field-emission element having a cathode with a sharp apex and a gate with an aperture diameter less than 1 .mu.m that is fabricated by covering a silicon substrate with a silicon oxide layer, forming an etching mask of 1.0 .mu.m diameter from a silicon oxide layer by photolithography, wet-etching the etching mask to form a minute etching mask of less diameter, dry etching the substrate to form a cylindrical solid structure, followed by anisotropic etching to form a couple of minute conical-shaped structures facing each other and connected by their respective tops, vacuum evaporating around the minute structures an insulating layer and thereon a conducting layer for use as a gate electrode, and etching the minute structure to lift off the upper part of the minute conical shaped structures.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.