ENHANCED ELECTRON-EMISSION FROM PHOSPHORUS-DOPED DIAMOND-CLAD SILICONFIELD EMITTER ARRAYS

Undoped and phosphorus (P)-doped diamond-clad Si field emitter arrays have been successfully fabricated using microwave plasma chemical vapo r deposition (MPCVD) technology. The electron emission from the blunt diamond-clad microtips are much higher than those for the pure Si tips with sharp curvature due to a lower work function, Furthermore, the c haracteristics of emission current against applied voltage for the P-d oped diamond-clad tips show superior emission at lower field to the un doped ones, After the examination of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and electrical characteristics of as-grown diamond, such a significan t enhancement of the electron emission from the P-doped diamond-clad t ips is attributed to a higher electron conductivity and defect densiti es.