Emission Characteristics of Nanocrystalline Porous Silicon Ballistic Cold Cathode in Atmospheric Ambience

The nc-Si cold cathode operates in atmospheric pressure of various gases. These results are consistent with the model that the energetic electrons are produced in nc-Si dot chain structures. In the case of air, negative ions are generated by dissociative attachment of energetic electrons to O
₂
molecules. Both the complete passivation of nc-Si surfaces and the suppression of interfacial traps between neighboring nc-Si dots are key issues for enhancement in the efficiency and stability