Micro-Nano Fabrication of Self-Aligned Silicon Electron Field Emitter Arrays Using Pulsed KrF Laser Irradiation

Abstract

Self-aligned silicon micro-nano structured electron field emitter arrays were fabricated using pulsed krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser crystallization (ELC) of hydrogenated amorphous thin silicon films (a-Si:H) on metal coated backplane samples using well established manufacturing techniques. We investigate the effect of laser beam profile, laser pulse frequency and sample stage scanning speed on the growth of micro-nano conical structures on the surface of the thin silicon films. Randomly oriented conical structures as high as 1 µm were fabricated using laser scan frequency of 100 Hz and sample stage scanning speed of 0.25 mm/sec. Best field emission (FE) results were measured from samples with the highest surface features. FE currents in the order of 10 -6 A and low turn-on emission threshold of ~ 14 V/µm. Light emission from the prototype demonstrators was tested using bespoke driver electronics and planar anodes coated with indium tin-oxide (ITO) and low voltage FE phosphors, to exemplify their usage as cold-cathode emitters for future flat panel display technologies.