Electron Emission Devices for Energy‐Efficient Systems

Abstract

Artificial intelligence platforms, high-speed computation, and data handling systems increasingly need energy-efficient systems. Electron emission was fundamental to the development of transistors and electronics over seven decades ago. This technology has a renewed emergence and includes implications in diverse fields ranging from electronics, telecommunication, defense, space exploration, medical science, and material science to televisions and displays. For such a vital field, a critical review of theories, current research directions, applications, and future prospects is invaluable. Herein, the ongoing research directions adopted to enhance the emitter performance are reviewed and the relative degree of their success is compared. This is supported by an overview of key electron emission, transport mechanisms, and ways to tune a particular mechanism for energy-efficient applications. The diverse range of applications in this field, with a particular focus on electronics, is outlined. Exciting current developments in electron field emission that could revolutionize the electronic industry with a resurgence of nanoscale field emission transistor in the air medium are also discussed. Figure 2. Representation of different electron emission mechanisms: a) Comparison of thermionic emission, Schottky emission, FN tunnelling, and direct tunnelling with schematic energy band diagram. b) Typical thermionic emission plot. c) Typical Schottky plot. (b,c)Reproduced with permission. [3]

A Review of Electron Emitters for High-Power and High-Frequency Vacuum Electron Devices

“…Nirantar et al [41] have recently reviewed the progress in the electron emitter technology, particularly the field emitters, focusing on high speed micro and nanoelectronics, with special mentions of electron emitters for vacuum microwave devices application. Considering the fact that the vacuum microwave device is a very critical and challenging technology, there is a need to extensively review the field emitters that can cater to the specific requirements of the high power and high frequency miniaturized VEDs.…”

Field emission from two-dimensional GeAs

“…FE is the extraction of electrons from a semiconducting or metallic material under the application of an electric field. As a macroscopic manifestation of a quantum effect, FE offers significant scientific interests in material science and is exploited in many applications such as electron microscopy, electron spectroscopy, e-beam lithography as well as in vacuum electronics for nanoscale FE transistors, displays and microwave generation or for x-ray tubes [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The externally applied electric field reduces the barrier for electron escape from the material to vacuum.…”

“…As a macroscopic manifestation of a quantum effect, FE offers significant scientific interests in material science and is exploited in many applications such as electron microscopy, electron spectroscopy, e-beam lithography as well as in vacuum electronics for nanoscale field emission transistors, displays and microwave generation or for x-ray tubes. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The externally applied electric field reduces the barrier for electron escape from the material to vacuum. FE is favored from electrically and thermally highly conducting materials with low work function and nanometer rough surface that give rise to local field enhancement.…”

Анализ Эмиссии Электронов С Одиночного Кремниевого Катода В Квазивакуумную (Воздушную) Среду Методом Атомно-Силовой Микроскопии

“…Эти негативные эффекты становятся особенно критичными при достижении уровня проектных норм 10 nm и ниже, что препятствует дальнейшему масштабированию полупроводниковой электроники [1]. Тем не менее сильные стороны приборов вакуумной наноэлектроники (их высокое быстродействие, устойчивость к воздействию радиации и высокой температуры), принцип работы которых основан на эффекте полевой эмиссии электронов в вакуум, могут быть объединены с преимуществами устройств кремниевой КМОП (комплементарная структура металл−оксид−полупро-водник) технологии, что было показано в работах [2][3][4]. Более того, в возможность подобной интеграции была продемонстрирована ранее в [5] на примере создания комбинированных устройств нового класса, сочетающих в себе стандартный МДП ( " металл−диэлектрик−полупроводник") транзистор и вакуумный эмиссионный транзистор с длиной канала проводимости 100 nm и рабочим напряжением 10 V. Дальнейшее снижение рабочего напряжения и, как следствие, потребляемой мощности, а также повышение срока эксплуатации вакуумных наноразмерных приборов может быть достигнуто путем уменьшения длины канала проводимости [6][7][8][9].…”