Study of Field Emitters Using Monte Carlo Method

Abstract

Using a particle-based Monte Carlo modeling approach we study the characteristics of silicon field emitter devices. We use an unstructured mesh based on tetrahedral elements to describe the device geometry in three dimensions, and we treat silicon and vacuum on equal footing when tracking electrons in both regions. We compare several tunnel models by evaluating the current-voltage characteristics of a single field emitting silicon pillar. Then, we perform an initial model validation, comparing the simulated current-voltage characteristic the measured values for a gated silicon field emitter. Furthermore, we extend our simulation to field emitter arrays (FEAs) to study the screen effect for adjacent emitters.