Field emission device
First Claim
1. A field emission device wherein emission is obtained from particles of insulative material under the influence of a field, and wherein a barrier to emission is the conduction band width and is less than about 1 ev, and wherein the insulative particles are a component of a cermet of randomly arranged conductive and insulative particles, and ohmic contact exists between the particles.
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Abstract
A device is disclosed which produces high current, low noise, low lateral energy, stochastic electron emission from a multiplicity of insulative particles subjected to a field. The insulative particles are in and of a surface thickness comprised of a random mixture of insulative and conductive particles in ohmic contact. Emission is achieved at applied potentials of about 5 volts which produce a field sufficient to emit electron currents of nanoamperes to milliamperes. Single devices or arrays of devices may be batch fabricated. Each device has an imtegral, implicity self-aligned electron optic system comprising means for modulating, focusing and deflecting the formed current beam, and means shielding the device from ambient magnetic fields.
211 Citations
24 Claims
- 1. A field emission device wherein emission is obtained from particles of insulative material under the influence of a field, and wherein a barrier to emission is the conduction band width and is less than about 1 ev, and wherein the insulative particles are a component of a cermet of randomly arranged conductive and insulative particles, and ohmic contact exists between the particles.
- 15. A field emission device comprising a conductive substrate conductively connected to cermet of insulative and conductive particles of pyramidal or conical shape with a point centered in an aperture of a first conductor, and a potential is applied between said substrate and said first conductor forming a field causing electrons to flow through the cermet in the conduction band of the insulative particles with a barrier to emission of less than about 1 ev, the electron flow to the point of the cermet into vacuum being from insulative particles of the surface of the point, the potential producing the field for emission being less than the ionization potential of gasses or vapors residual within or diffusing within the field to preserve the integrity of the emitting insulative particles, reduce noise and emitted current degradation, and allow operation in the presence of vapors or gasses in the field.
Specification