Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Electron emitter manufacture
Reexamination Certificate
2005-08-02
2005-08-02
Pham, Long (Department: 2814)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Electron emitter manufacture
C438S022000, C257S079000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06924158
ABSTRACT:
A method of forming vertical knife-edge cold-cathode field emission electron sources with self-aligned gate electrodes and sub-micron electrode separations. The method exploits the enhancement of ion-beam erosion rates obtained in metals at oblique ion incidence, which allows the preferential removal of a metal layer at the convex edge of a mesa2to create a well-defined separation between the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the metal. The horizontal surface may be used as the gate and the vertical surface as the cathode in a vacuum triode structure. Electrical isolation is obtained by forming the mesa2in an insulating layer or substrate1. Isolation may be improved by removing the insulating material in the vicinity of the metal edges. Field-induced electron emission from the cathode may be obtained at low voltage based on the enhancement of the electric field at the sharp tip of the cathode.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3665241 (1972-05-01), Spindt et al.
patent: 4013465 (1977-03-01), Clapham et al.
patent: 4943343 (1990-07-01), Bardai et al.
patent: 4964946 (1990-10-01), Gray et al.
patent: 5214347 (1993-05-01), Gray et al.
patent: 5228877 (1993-07-01), Allaway et al.
patent: 5266155 (1993-11-01), Gray
patent: 5266530 (1993-11-01), Bagley et al.
patent: 5457355 (1995-10-01), Fleming et al.
patent: 5584740 (1996-12-01), Hsu et al.
patent: 5679610 (1997-10-01), Matsuda et al.
patent: 5742121 (1998-04-01), Hsu et al.
patent: 5769679 (1998-06-01), Park et al.
patent: 5789272 (1998-08-01), Wang et al.
patent: 5814931 (1998-09-01), Makishima
patent: 5909033 (1999-06-01), Koga et al.
patent: 6008064 (1999-12-01), Busta
patent: 6022256 (2000-02-01), Rolfson
patent: 6043103 (2000-03-01), Takemura
patent: 6084245 (2000-07-01), Hsu et al.
patent: 6084337 (2000-07-01), Beardmore
patent: 6168491 (2001-01-01), Hsu et al.
patent: 6201342 (2001-03-01), Hobart et al.
patent: 6246069 (2001-06-01), Hsu et al.
patent: 6572425 (2003-06-01), Maxim et al.
patent: 6617773 (2003-09-01), Yamamoto et al.
patent: 6756730 (2004-06-01), Russ et al.
patent: 2000-100557 (2000-04-01), None
Busta et al., “Fabrication of Gated SiC Vertical Edge Emitters by Chemical Mechanical Polishing,”J. Micromech. Microeng., 7:37-43 (1997).
Cade et al., “Vacuum Microelectronics,”GEC Journal of Research, 7:129-138 (1990).
Chin et al., “Field Emitter Tips for Vacuum Microelectronic Devices,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A8:3586-3590 (1990).
Fleming et al., “Fabrication and Testing of Vertical Metal Edge Emitters with Well Defined Gate to Emitter Separation,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B14:1958-1962 (1996).
Fowler et al., “Electron Emission in Intense Electric Fields”,Proc. Roy Soc., 119:173-181 (1928).
Gamo et al., “Fabrication of Petal-Shaped Vertical Field Emitter Arrays,”Jpn. J. Apply. Phys., 34:6916-6921 (1995).
Gorfinkel et al., “Development of 4 in. Field-emission Displays,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B15:524-527 (1997).
Gotoh et al., “Fabrication of Lateral-Type Thin-Film Edge Film Emitters by Focused Ion Beam Technique,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B13:465-468 (1995).
Hofmann et al., “Fabrication of Integrated Micromachined Electron Guns,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B13:2701-2704 (1995).
Hoole et al., “Directly Patterned Low Voltage Planar Tungsten Lateral Field Emission Structures,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B11:2574-2578 (1993).
Hsu et al., “20nm Linewidth Platinum Pattern Fabrication Using Conformal Effusive-Source Precursor Deposition and Sidewall Lithography,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B10:2251-2258 (1992).
Hsu et al., “Vertical Thin-Film-Edge Field Emitters: Fabrication by Chemical Beam Deposition, Imaging of Cathodoluminescence and Characterization of Emission,”Thin Solid Films, 286:92-97 (1996).
Huq et al., “Fabrication of Sub-10nm Silicon Tips: A New Approach,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B13:2718-2721 (1995).
Itoh et al., “Fabrication of Double-Gated Si Field Emitter Arrays for Focused Electron Beam Generation,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B13:1969-1972 (1995).
Itoh et al., “Development and Application of Field Emitter Arrays in Japan,”Appl. Surf. Sci., 111:194-203 (1997).
Johnson et al., “Characterization of Lateral-Thin-Film-Edge Field Emitter Arrays,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B15:535-538 (1997).
Jones et al., “Silicon Field Emission Transistors and Diodes,”IEEE Trans. on Comps., Hybrids and Mfg. Tech., 15:1051-1055 (1992).
Lee et al., “Fabrication and Characterization of Volcano-Shaped Field Emitters Surrounded by Planar Gates,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B15:464-467 (1997).
Lee et al., “Self-Aligned Silicon Tips Coated with Diamondlike Carbon,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B15:457-459 (1997).
Liu et al., “Fabrication of Wedge-Shaped Silicon Field Emitters with nm-Scale Radii,”Appl. Phys. Lett., 58:1042-1043 (1991).
Marcus et al., “Formation of Silicon Tips with <1 nm Radius,”Appl. Phys. Lett., 56:236-238 (1990).
Mellier-Smith et al., “Ion Etching for Pattern Delineation,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., 13:1008-1022 (1976).
Rakhshandehroo et al., “Fabrication of Si Field Emitters by Dry Etching and Mask Erosion,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., B14:612-616 (1996).
Somekh, S., “Introduction to Ion and Plasma Etching,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., 13:1003-1007 (1976).
Spindt et al., “Physical Properties of Thin-Film Field Emission Cathodes with Molybdenum Cones,”J. Appl. Phys., 47:5248-5263 (1976).
Spindt et al., “A Thin-Film Field-Emission Cathode”,J. Appl. Phys., 39:3504-3505 (1968).
Utsumi, T., “Keynole Address; Vacuum Microelectronics: What's New and Exciting,”IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 38:2276-2283 (1991).
Wang et al., “Electrostatic Analysis of Field Emission Triode with VOlcano-Type Gate,”J. Vac. Sci. Technol., 14:1938-1941 (1996).
Xu et al., “Enhancing Electron Emission from Silicon Tip Arrays by Using Thin Amorphous Diamond Coating,”Appl. Phys. Lett., 73:3668-? (1998).
Search Report, United Kingdom Patent Office, GB 0122161.3.
Le Thao X.
Marshall & Gerstein & Borun LLP
Microsaic Systems Limited
Pham Long
LandOfFree
Electrode structures does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electrode structures, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electrode structures will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3479132