INTEGRATED SILICON PROCESS FOR MICRODYNAMIC VACUUM FIELD-EMISSION CATHODES

An integrated silicon process has been developed to produce self-aligned gated field emitters on suspended and movable single-crystal silicon beams. The field emitter fabrication process is compatible with an extended version of the single crystal reactive etching and metallization (SCREAM) process. The extended SCREAM process has been used to produce silicon stages with three-dimensional (3D) translation (xy,z) using integrated capacitive actuators and sensors. Here, we outline the field emitter fabrication process, the extended SCREAM process, and process integration. The integrated structural scheme includes the suspended field emitters integrated with the 3D translator. Electrical isolation and metal contacts are also incorporated with multiple, suspended silicon beams to provide electrical interconnects and isolation of the integrated tips, gate electrodes, actuators, and sensors. The stage with integrated field emitters, translators, isolation, and interconnects is a new approach to the 3D precision positioning and scanning of field emitter tips or scan probes.