FIELD EMISSION DEVICE AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME

• US 20130187123A1
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD.
• Original Assignee: TECHNION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, LTD.
• Inventors: KALISH, Rafael, TORDJMAN, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 9,306,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/10
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/3048 Distributed particle emitters
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 99/05 Quantum devices, e.g. quantum interference devices, metal single electron transistors

Abstract

A field-emission device is disclosed. The device comprises a solid state structure formed of a crystalline material and an amorphous material, wherein an outer surface of the solid state structure is substantially devoid of the amorphous material, and wherein a p-type conductivity of the crystalline material is higher at or near the outer surface than far from the outer surface.

Claims

1. A field-emission device, comprising a solid state structure formed of a crystalline material and an amorphous material, wherein an outer surface of said solid state structure is substantially devoid of said amorphous material, and wherein a p-type conductivity of said crystalline material is higher at or near said outer surface than far from said outer surface.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said crystalline material comprises a plurality of crystalline nanostructures, and wherein said crystalline nanostructures are embedded in said amorphous material.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said crystalline nanostructures are characterized by an average diameter of from about 3 nm to about 30 nm, and wherein an average distance between adjacent crystalline nanostructures is less than 3 nm.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein said crystalline nanostructures are diamond nano structures.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said crystalline material comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of a diamond multilayer structure, a fullerene multilayer structure, a carbon nanotube multilayer structure, a graphene layer structure, and a graphene multilayer structure.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said crystalline material comprises at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a homoepitaxial diamond layer, a polycrystalline diamond layer, and a layer of diamond nanostructures.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein said amorphous material is amorphous carbon.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein said amorphous material is tetrahedral amorphous carbon.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein said surface is modified by foreign atoms.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein said foreign atoms are covalently attached to said surface.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein said foreign atoms are hydrogen atoms.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein said foreign atoms comprise at least one atom are selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine, boron and phosphor.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising an adsorbed layer at said outer surface.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said adsorbed layer is characterized by a chemical potential below a characteristic valence band energy level of said surface.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said adsorbed layer is characterized by electron affinity above 4.2 eV.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein said adsorbed layer is an aqueous layer.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein said adsorbed layer comprises at least one substance selected from the group consisting of fullerene and fullerene fluorinated.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of said adsorbed layer is from about 0.1 nm to about 10 nm.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said solid state structure is characterized by a current-voltage hysteresis loop at room temperature.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said solid state structure features a current rise of at least two orders of magnitude over a change of less than 50% in voltage bias applied to said solid state structure.

21. A display system, comprising the device of claim 1.

22. An X-ray source system, comprising the device of claim 1.

23. An electron emission system, comprising the device of claim 1.

24. An electron microscope, comprising the device of claim 1.

25. An electrical switch system, comprising the device of claim 1.

26. A logic circuit, comprising the device of claim 1.

27. A memory system, comprising the device of claim 1.

28. A sensor system, comprising the device of claim 1.

29. A method of producing current, comprising applying voltage to a solid state structure formed of a crystalline material and an amorphous material, wherein an outer surface of said solid state structure is substantially devoid of said amorphous material, and wherein a p-type conductivity of said crystalline material is higher at or near said outer surface than far from said outer surface.

30. A method of fabricating field-emission device, comprising treating a surface of a solid state structure formed of a crystalline material and an amorphous material, so as to etch said amorphous material from said surface.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said crystalline material comprises a plurality of crystalline nanostructures, and wherein said crystalline nanostructures are embedded in said amorphous material.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said crystalline nanostructures are diamond nano structures.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said amorphous material is amorphous carbon.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said amorphous material is tetrahedral amorphous carbon.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein said treating comprises exposing said surface to humidity so as to from an adsorption layer at said outer surface.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein said treating comprises modifying said surface by foreign atoms.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said modifying comprises inducing hydrogenation and wherein said foreign atoms are hydrogen atoms.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein said treating comprises cleaning said surface with an acid.

39. The method of claim 30, wherein said treating is executed, at least in part, at a temperature of at least 400°

C.