Electron field emission of nanocrystalline Si prepared by laser crystallization

Abstract

The electron field emission characteristics of nanocrystalline Si thin films prepared by KrF excimer laser crystallization of ultrathin amorphous Si films and subsequent thermal annealing is reported. Stable and reproducible field emissionbehavior can be observed for the crystallized Si films. The turn-on electric field is reduced from 17V/μm for the as-deposited sample to 85V/μm for the crystallized one, and the emission current density can reach as high as 01mA/cm2 The improvement in field emission characteristics is attributed to both the change of film surface and the formation of high-density nanocrystalline Si, which induces the enhancement of internal local electric field.