Low work function nanometer-order controlled transfer mold field emitter arrays

Extremely sharp and uniform Transfer Metal Mold FEAs with thin film low work function and environment-hard emitter material such as TiN and Au have been fabricated by controlling the thickness of the coated emitter material to realize high efficient, high reliable, low-cost vacuum nanoelectronic devices, and especially aerospace nanodevices for electric propulsion engines [1, 2]. Their nanometer order tip radii from 2.5 to 52.5 nm can be controlled by changing the thickness of emitter materials. Turn-on electric fields of the AuFEAs from 31.8 to 68.1 V/mum (Emitter/anode distance: less than 30 mum) have been intentionally controlled by changing tip radii. Turn-on field of TiN-FEAs resulted in the low electric field values of 21.7 V/mum.