Low capacitance field emitter array and method of manufacture therefor

摘要

A method for fabricating field emitter arrays is disclosed which uses a substrate as both an emitter tip mold and an insulating layer. A thick single crystal substrate is orientation-dependent-etched on one side to form a plurality of holes having crystallographically sharp apices or a non-crystalline substrate is etched on one side to form a plurality of holes with a high depth-to-width ratio. An emitter layer is deposited on the substrate surface and in the plurality of holes. The remainder of the field emitter array structure is then formed on the opposite side of the substrate using conventional deposition and etching techniques. Once the emitter is formed, the remaining fabrication steps are self-aligning. The field emitter array thus formed exhibits high input impedance at high frequency, making the field emitter array suitable for high frequency uses.