Progress in microminiature thermionic vacuum tube devices

摘要

We report on the progress made in the fabrication and testing of microminiature thermionic vacuum (MTV) tube devices with ultra-small (i.e., micron-scale) dimensions. In particular, using low function material, we have been able to successfully fabricate reproducible and reliable MTV planar and vertical diodes with emission properties that obey Child's Law for emission distances on the scale of approximately 2 /spl mu/m or greater. MTV technology is well suited for use in flat panel displays, electron beam writing sources and optics, nuclear instrumentation, aeronautical control instrumentation, space-based missions, geothermal and oil exploration, and other high temperature and harsh environment applications.