Method of fabricating a field emission device

摘要

A method for fabricating a field emission device comprises the steps of forming a capping layer (20) on a silicon substrate (2) and etching the substrate to form a silicon pedestal (22) beneath the capping layer. A dielectric layer (24) is then formed along the side walls of the silicon pedestal and the surface of the silicon substrate, simultaneously sharpening the silicon pedestal into a silicon tip (26). A metal layer (28) is deposited over the capping layer and the dielectric layer such that a portion of the dielectric layer beneath the capping layer remains exposed. Finally, hydrofluoric acid is employed to lift off the capping layer and the metal layer disposed thereon and to etch the dielectric layer, thereby exposing the silicon tip as an emitter and the remaining metal layer as a gate. Since the spacing between the emitter and the gate is only limited by the thickness of the dielectric layer, it is possible to generate a submicron-scale gate aperture without the use of submicron-lithography techniques.