jap banner
  • Volume/Page
  • Keyword
  • DOI
  • Citation
  • Advanced
   
 
 
 

Flickr Twitter UniPHY Group iResearch App Facebook

Journal of Applied Physics / Volume 107 / Issue 5 / ARTICLES / Nanoscale Science and Design

J. Appl. Phys. 107, 054308 (2010); doi:10.1063/1.3309776 (4 pages)

Marshmallowing of nanopillar arrays by field emission

Hua Qin, Hyun-Seok Kim, and Robert H. Blick

Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA

View MapView Map

(Received 6 January 2010; accepted 10 January 2010; published online 4 March 2010)

We fabricated nanoscale field electron emitters formed by highly-doped silicon nanopillars on a silicon membrane. Electron-beam induced deposition of carbon-based contaminants is employed as a probe of the spatial activity of electron emission from the nanopillars. In stark contrast to the general assumption that field emission only occurs at the tips of nanoscale emitters, we found strong emission from the sidewalls of the nanopillars. This is revealed by the deposition of carbon contaminants on these sidewalls, so that the nanopillars finally resemble marshmallows. We conclude that field emission from nanostructured surfaces is more intricate than previously expected.

© 2010 American Institute of Physics

RELATED DATABASES

To view database links for this article, you need to log in.

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

electron beam deposition, electron field emission, elemental semiconductors, nanofabrication, nanostructured materials, silicon

PACS

  • 79.70.+q

    Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption

  • 81.15.Jj

    Ion and electron beam-assisted deposition; ion plating

ARTICLE DATA

Permalink
http://link.aip.org/link/doi/10.1063/1.3309776

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN:

0021-8979 (print)  
1089-7550 (online)

Publisher:

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.
    I. Langmuir, Phys. Rev. 2, 450 (1913).

    H. Qin, H. -S. Kim, M. S. Westphall, L. M. Smith, and R. H. Blick, Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 183506 (2007)APPLAB000091000018183506000001.

    D. R. Koenig, D. V. Scheible, and R. H. Blick, Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 157 (2004)APPLAB000085000001000157000001.


Figures (4)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)



Close

Google Calendar

ADVERTISEMENT

Your Recent History Recent History Help

Recently Viewed

  1. Marshmallowing of nanopillar arrays by field emission
Go to AIP Home
Copyright © American Institute of Physics
close