Emission Properties of Porous Silicon Electron Emitters Formed by Pulsed Anodic Etching

Porous silicon (PS) layers were formed by pulsed anodic etching and subsequently processed by electrochemical oxidization (ECO) and high-pressure water vapor annealing (HWA), and their morphologies and oxidation degrees were analyzed. The electron emitters based on these PS layers were fabricated, and their emission properties were investigated. The experimental results show that a PS layer formed by pulsed anodic etching has a better pore-diameter homogeneity in the longitudinal direction, and it can obtain good oxidation quality more easily by the combined treatment of ECO and HWA. The as-formed PS electron emitters have better emission properties in comparison with those based on PS layers prepared by constant-current anodic etching.