Low-Field Electron Emission Capability of Thin Films on Flat Silicon Substrates: Experiments with Mo and General Model for Refractory Metals and Carbon
Ivan Bizyaev,
Pavel Gabdullin,
Maxim Chumak,
Vladislav Babyuk,
Sergey Davydov,
Vasilii Osipov,
Alexey Kuznetsov,
Olga Kvashenkina,
Alexander Arkhipov
Affiliations
Ivan Bizyaev
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Pavel Gabdullin
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Maxim Chumak
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Vladislav Babyuk
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Sergey Davydov
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Vasilii Osipov
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Alexey Kuznetsov
Nanotechnology Research and Education Centre RAS, Alferov St. Petersburg National Research Academic University, Khlopin St. 8/1, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia
Olga Kvashenkina
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Alexander Arkhipov
Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya St., 29, 195251 St. Petersburg, Russia
Herein, we describe a study of the phenomenon of field-induced electron emission from thin films deposited on flat Si substrates. Films of Mo with an effective thickness of 6–10 nm showed room-temperature low-field emissivity; a 100 nA current was extracted at macroscopic field magnitudes as low as 1.4–3.7 V/μm. This result was achieved after formation treatment of the samples by combined action of elevated temperatures (100–600 °C) and the electric field. Morphology of the films was assessed by AFM, SEM, and STM/STS methods before and after the emission tests. The images showed that forming treatment and emission experiments resulted in the appearance of numerous defects at the initially continuous and smooth films; in some regions, the Mo layer was found to consist of separate nanosized islets. Film structure reconstruction (dewetting) was apparently induced by emission-related factors, such as local heating and/or ion irradiation. These results were compared with our previous data obtained in experiments with carbon islet films of similar average thickness deposited onto identical substrates. On this basis, we suggest a novel model of emission mechanism that might be common for thin films of carbon and refractory metals. The model combines elements of the well-known patch field, multiple barriers, and thermoelectric models of low-macroscopic-field electron emission from electrically nanostructured heterogeneous materials.
