Abstract
The field electron emission from individual grains on the surface of Si and III–V semiconductors, namely, gallium arsenide, indium arsenide, and indium antimonide is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. From the correspondence of the functional dependence of the I–V characteristic to the theory, the emission mechanism is determined as direct tunneling through a depleted or enriched subsurface layer at the voltages V < 1 V and the tunneling emission from the surface electronic states at the voltages V > 1 V. A field-emission threshold of (1–5) × 106 V/cm is obtained, which is significantly lower than the values for metals and carbon. The determining factors of this emission mechanism are the Schottky effect, the localization and size quantization of “light” electrons in the surface area of III–V semiconductors, and the presence of a subsurface depletion layer in silicon. According to the data obtained for the values of the field-emission threshold, indium antimonide in the form of submicron grain particles is the most efficient field emitter.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
N. V. Egorov and E. P. Sheshin, Electron Emission (Intellekt, Moscow, 2011) [in Russian].
Yu. B. Gulyaev, N. P. Aban’shin, B. I. Gorfinkel’, S. P. Morev, A. F. Rezchikov, N. I. Sinitsyn, and A. N. Yakunin, Tech. Phys. Lett. 39, 525 (2013).
E. I. Goldman, Yu. B. Gulyaev, A. G. Zhdan, and G. V. Chucheva, Semiconductors 44, 1016 (2010).
T. V. Blank and Yu. A. Gol’dberg, Semiconductors 41, 1263 (2007).
A. G. Zhdan, N. F. Kukharskaya, V. G. Naryshkina, and G. V. Chucheva, Semiconductors 41, 1117 (2007).
N. D. Zhukov, E. G. Glukhovskoy, and D. S. Mosiyash, Semiconductors 50, 894 (2016).
S. A. Rykov, Scanning Probe Microscopy of Semiconductor Materials and Nanostructures (Nauka, St. Petersburg, 2001) [in Russian].
A. Milnes and D. Feucht, Heterojunctions and Metal Semiconductor Junctions (Mir, Moscow, 1975; Academic, New York, 1972)
S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices (Wiley, New York, 1981; Energiya, Moscow, 1973).
N. D. Zhukov, D. S. Mosiyash, A. A. Khazanov, and N. P. Aban’shin, Prikl. Fiz., No. 3, 93 (2015).
E. G. Glukhovskoi and N. D. Zhukov, Tech. Phys. Lett. 41, 687 (2015).
O. Madelung, Physics of III–V Compounds (Mir, Moscow, 1967; Wiley, New York, 1964)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 16-07-00136.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Translated by V. Bukhanov
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhukov, N.D., Mikhailov, A.I. & Mosiyash, D.S. Mechanism and Features of Field Emission in Semiconductors. Semiconductors 53, 321–325 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063782619030229
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063782619030229