Electron field emission from well-aligned GaP nanotips

Field emission of electrons from single crystal gallium phosphide (GaP) nanotips has been investigated. GaP nanotip arrays were fabricated using silane-methane-argon-hydrogen based plasma using the self-masking dry etching technique in an electron-cyclotron-resonance microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. These nanotips have an average of 2 and 80 nm in apex and bottom diameters, respectively. They are 900 nm in height, which makes them the perfect electron emission source for their high aspect ratio topography. A nanosized silicon carbide (SiC) cap on each GaP nanotip in the array has been found. The SiC core has a heterointerface with GaP crystal that was observed using a high resolution transmission electron microscope. Field emission analysis shows low turn-on fields of 8.5–9 V/μm. Cold electron emissions in Fowler–Nordheim type current-voltage were observed from such GaP nanotip arrays.