Mechanical single nanopillars and arrays as field emission devices

We present measurements on single and arrays of mechanically flexible nanopillars placed on thin membranes. These systems find applications as modulated sources for field emission devices. For single nanopillars we find that field emission can be modulated in the range of 10–500 MHz. Single nanopillar devices show Fowler-Nordheim type field emission increased by two orders of magnitude due to their mechanical motion. The wide scale emission from arrays of nanopillars is investigated with the help of a microchannel-plate (MCP) electron multiplier with fluorescence phosphor screen. A stable overall field emission current and microscopic variations of emission pattern with time are observed, where the later is most likely related to the mechanical instability of the nanopillar-on-membrane structure.