Enhanced electron emission and its stability from gated Mo-polycide field emitters

Metal silicides are promising materials for field emission cathodes due to their high electrical conductivity and thermal stability. In this paper, we examined molybdenum (Mo) silicide formation on gated n/sup +/ poly-Si emitters to improve electron field emission and stability. Surface morphology and field emission properties of the pure poly-Si emitters and the Mo-silicided poly-Si (Mo-polycide) emitters have been examined and compared. Field emission from the Mo-polycide emitters exhibited significant enhancement in both electron emission efficiency and stability.