Electroforming and electron emission from a thin film MIM structure

Cold emitters based on thin film metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures are of some interest to vacuum microelectronics purposes because of their low response time, ability to work under rough vacuum conditions, low operating voltages and reasonable lifetime. Emission characteristics of MIM structures depend to a large degree on electroforming, the final step in the MIM emitter fabrication sequence. Despite the fact that we studied many features of this process, its mechanism is not yet completely understood and calls for further investigation. This work reports new data on studying a forming process in and electron emission from MIM structures and results on testing those structures in a switching mode