Micropatterned polycrystalline diamond field emitter vacuum diode arrays Available to Purchase

Electron field emission from an array of patterned pyramids of polycrystalline diamond for vacuum diode applications has been investigated. High current emission from the patterned diamond microtip arrays was obtained at low electric fields. An emission current from the diamond microtips of 0.1 mA was observed for a field of <10 V/μm. Field emission for these diamond microtips exhibits significant enhancement in total emission current compared to silicon emitters. Moreover, field emission from patterned polycrystalline diamond pyramidal tip arrays is unique in that the applied field is found to be lower compared to that required for emission from Si, Ge, GaAs, and metal surfaces. The fabrication process utilizes selective deposition of diamond film in a silicon cavity mold and subsequent creation of free standing polycrystalline diamond diaphragm with diamond pyramidal microtip array. The processing techniques are compatible with integrated circuit fabrication technology.