Field emission in vertically aligned ZnO/Si-nanopillars with ultra low turn-on field

An effective method of fabricating vertically aligned silicon nanopillars (Si-NPs) was realized by using the self-assembled silver (Ag) nanodots as natural metal-nanomask during dry etching process. The obtained Si-NPs were preferentially aligned along the c-axis direction. Ultrathin ZnO films (~9 nm) were subsequently deposited on the Si-NPs by atomic layer deposition (ALD) to enhance the field emission property. The average diameter of the ZnO/Si-NPs is in the order of tens of nanometers, which enables efficient field emission and gives rise to marked improvement in the field enhancement factor, β. The turn-on field defined by the 10 μA/cm(2) current density criterion is ~0.74 V/μm with an estimated β ≈ 1.33×10(4). The low turn-on field and marked enhancement in β were attributed to the small radius of curvature, high aspect ratio, and perhaps more importantly, proper density distribution of the ZnO/Si-NPs.