Electron-beam focusing characteristics of double-gated carbon nanofiber based field emission sources

X. Yang, W. L. Gardner, L. R. Baylor, H. Cui, D. H. Lowndes, D. C. Joy, M. L. Simpson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recently, vertically aligned carbon nanofiber based dual-gate field emission structures have been fabricated for use in parallel electron-beam lithography, and their electron-beam focus adjustment capability has been demonstrated. This article summarizes the results of a numerical investigation of device behavior due to geometry variation in an effort to better understand device characteristics and performance. The effect of electrode thickness on minimum beam diameter and depth of field (DOF) were investigated for axially symmetric structures using a two-dimensional simulation package. The results indicate both a decrease in minimum spot size from ∼30 to ∼20 nm, and an increase in DOF from ∼1 to ∼6 μm when the focus electrode thickness is increased from 100 to 500 nm. The impact of misalignments of the focus electrode and the carbon nanofiber on the beam behavior was investigated with a three-dimensional simulation package. Results show that reasonably well-converged beams can be achieved even with considerable offset to either the focus electrode or carbon nanofiber, though large beam deflections are produced. In addition, the deflections due to these offsets appear to be linear.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)394-399
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Vacuum Science and Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures
Volume25
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2007

Funding

The authors thank G. Bilbrough of IES, Inc. for help in setting up the modeling geometry. This research is partially sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under Contract No. DARPA-MIPR-97-1357 with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of ORNL, and by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy. The research is carried out at ORNL, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725.

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