Self-Aligned, Gated Arrays of Individual Nanotube and Nanowire Emitters

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 4; no. 9; pp. 1575 - 1579
• Main Authors: Gangloff, L, Minoux, E, Teo, K. B. K, Vincent, P, Semet, V. T, Binh, V. T, Yang, M. H, Bu, I. Y. Y, Lacerda, R. G, Pirio, G, Schnell, J. P, Pribat, D, Hasko, D. G, Amaratunga, G. A. J, Milne, W. I, Legagneux, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.09.2004
• Subjects: Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Nanolithography; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotubes; Physics; Inorganic compounds; Semiconductor materials; Lithography; Nanocathode; Carbon nanotubes; Field emission; Experimental study; Wires; Self alignment; Whiskers; Nanowire; Silicon; Nanostructured materials; Cathodes
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/nl049401t

We demonstrate the production of integrated-gate nanocathodes which have a single carbon nanotube or silicon nanowire/whisker per gate aperture. The fabrication is based on a technologically scalable, self-alignment process in which a single lithographic step is used to define the gate, insulator, and emitter. The nanotube-based gated nanocathode array has a low turn-on voltage of 25 V and a peak current of 5 μA at 46 V, with a gate current of 10 nA (i.e., 99% transparency). These low operating voltage cathodes are potentially useful as electron sources for field emission displays or miniaturizing electron-based instrumentation.