The sharply pointed tip of the emitter is the only physical structure in typical field emission vacuum microelectronic devices that is not commonly produced by standard integrated circuit fabrication processes. The authors suggest the use of a cusp which naturally forms when a hole is filled with a conformal film, as a mold to create the sharply pointed emitter. Not only is this tip formation method easily integrated with standard semiconductor processes to produce cathodes, diodes, triodes, and higher number electrode devices, but it is also self-aligned to all of the electrodes within the device structure. The authors describe the basic process sequence used to create a microtriode device and then show how the process can be altered to produce different numbers of electrodes and freestanding cathode structures. Preliminary experimental results are described and estimates of process reproducibility are analyzed and discussed.
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