GaAs planar-doped barrier vacuum microelectronic electron emitters

A novel vacuum microelectronic electron emitter has been demonstrated in GaAs by using a planar-doped-barrier (PDB) structure. Emitted electrons are collected in high vacuum by a tantalum anode placed approximately 1 mm away from the emitter surface. Surface passivation with (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/S/sub x/ followed by in situ heating in vacuum has been used to obtain an atomically clean surface. An emission current density of 0.42 A-cm/sup -2/ and an efficiency of 0.3% have been obtained from a 60 mu m*60 mu m emission region with an anode bias of 100 V.<
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