AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Nanometer-Scale Science and Technology Tuesday Sessions
       Session NS+EM-TuM

Paper NS+EM-TuM9
Fabrication and Characterization of Nanolayered Electron Emitters

Tuesday, November 1, 2005, 11:00 am, Room 210

Session: Nanoscale Electronic Devices & Detection
Presenter: A.A. Dixit, University of Notre Dame
Authors: A.A. Dixit, University of Notre Dame
A. Raigoza, University of Notre Dame
T. Engstrom, University of Notre Dame
A. Lapicki, University of Notre Dame
K. Akutsu, University of Notre Dame
D.C. Jacobs, University of Notre Dame
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Nanolayered electron emitters (vertical dimension ~ 100 nm), based on a Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) architecture, are fabricated by sequential deposition of thin films. A combinatorial approach is employed to efficiently screen different materials and fabrication conditions, and an array of 24 devices is fabricated in each batch. The electrical performance of each device is characterized as a function of the voltage bias applied across the metal electrodes. The total vacuum emission of electrons exhibits a non-linear increase as a function of the applied voltage bias. The kinetic energy distribution of emitted electrons is recorded at a series of bias voltages by a hemispherical energy analyzer. The energy distribution is quasiballastic with minimal inelastic losses. A change in the applied voltage bias results in a corresponding linear shift in the position of the peak in the energy distribution. The role of defects on the electron transport mechanism is discussed.