Experimental measurements have shown that electron emission was obtained from metallic planar surfaces covered with ultrathin wide band gap semiconductor layers. To get a better control of the effective surface barrier, we proposed a composite-layer nanostructured solid-state field controlled emitter with two ultrathin layers of GaN and . This composite structure defined a quantum well at the cathode surface. The threshold of the applied field to obtain electron emission was in the range of . To interpret these experimental results, we propose a dual-barrier model related to the nanostructured layers and a serial two-step mechanism for the electron emission. In a first step, under the polarization, the electrons are injected into the ultrathin surface layer from the cathode substrate, creating a concentration of electrons in the GaN quantum well. This electron concentration or space charge formation induced an energy shift leading to a relative lowering of the vacuum level compared to the Fermi level of the substrate. We have measured the electron emission dependence with field and temperature of these cathodes and have determined an effective surface tunnelling barrier consistent with an effective thermal activation energy of . Estimation of the effective barrier due to space charge formation from to the occupation of the localized bands in the quantum well is in good agreement with the experimental data.
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March 2005
This content was originally published in
Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena
Research Article|
April 07 2005
Composite-layered solid-state field controlled emitter for a better control of the cathode surface barrier
V. Semet;
V. Semet
Equipe Emission Electronique, LPMCN-CNRS,
University of Lyon 1
, Villeurbanne, 69622, France
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Vu Thien Binh;
Vu Thien Binh
a)
Equipe Emission Electronique, LPMCN-CNRS,
University of Lyon 1
, Villeurbanne, 69622, France
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J. P. Zhang;
J. P. Zhang
Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of South Carolina
, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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J. Yang;
J. Yang
Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of South Carolina
, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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M. Asif Khan;
M. Asif Khan
Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of South Carolina
, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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R. Tsu
R. Tsu
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; electronic mail: [email protected]
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 23, 824–830 (2005)
Article history
Received:
September 30 2004
Accepted:
January 03 2005
Citation
V. Semet, Vu Thien Binh, J. P. Zhang, J. Yang, M. Asif Khan, R. Tsu; Composite-layered solid-state field controlled emitter for a better control of the cathode surface barrier. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 1 March 2005; 23 (2): 824–830. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.1864065
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