Emission stability of anodized silicon field emitter arrays

The electrical characteristics of porous silicon field emitter arrays (PSFEAs) was studied. The surface of silicon field emitters was modified by electrochemical etching with HF: ethanol solution. Porous silicon consists of a high density of submicroscopic fibrils which serve as increased emission sites per tip, hence significantly improving the emission characteristics. PSFEAs exhibited low turn-on voltage and high emission current with small current fluctuation and good reproducibility.