Method for fabricating self-aligned field emitter tips
The present invention relates to microscopic field emitter tips manufactured by microchip fabrication techniques in dense field emitter tip arrays and, in particular, to a method for creating a field emitter tip within a substrate layered with alternating non-conductive and conductive layers using a...
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Main Authors | , |
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Format | Patent |
Language | English |
Published |
10.09.2002
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Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The present invention relates to microscopic field emitter tips manufactured by microchip fabrication techniques in dense field emitter tip arrays and, in particular, to a method for creating a field emitter tip within a substrate layered with alternating non-conductive and conductive layers using a single photolithography step followed by a number of different etching steps.
An efficient and economical method for fabricating field emitter tips within a layered substrate. The layered substrate is patterned using standard photolithographic techniques and etched to form a rectangular or cylindrical column on top of the substrate composed of conductive and non-conductive layers. The layered substrate is then exposed to an anisotropic etching medium which removes the column to produce a well through the conductive and non-conductive layers and which produces a conical or pyramid-shaped field emitter tip within the silicon substrate directly below the well. Finally, a pull-back etch is used to remove dielectric material from the walls of the well. In an optional step, a thin metal coating may be sputtered onto the surface of the silicon-based field emitter tip. |
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