Synthesis of conical Si array on Si(100) for a field electron emitter by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Abstract We synthesized a highly aligned conical Si array on Si(100) for a field electron emitter by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The number density of these submicron Si cones was controlled in the range 10 6 –10 9 cm −2 . The 10 6 cm −2 conical Si array exhibited a low threshold voltage for its field electron emission, while for an array with a high number density, the emission property was degraded due to the electric field screening effect.