Precise control of field emission current by a built-in poly-Si thin film transistor

We fabricated a field emitter array integrated with a built-in poly-Si thin film transistor (TFT). The TFT structure was optimized for field emission control; especially for high withstand voltage and lowering the off current. The Si emitting tip was coated with hafnium carbide (HfC) to improve emission characteristics. HfC coating was very effective to enhance the emission and improve the emission lifetime. The emission from HfC coated FEA did not degrade for more than 9,000 h even in DC mode operation, while that of non-coated Si FEA decreased one orders of magnitude within 100 h. Emission improvement by HfC coating and precise control of field emission current by the built-in TFT are reported