Silicon Field Emitter Arrays for Vacuum Integrated Circuits

We present a proof-of-concept inverter based on silicon field emitter arrays (Si FEAs) that could be fabricated as a vacuum integrated circuit (IC). A circuit model for Si FEAs is developed, and the voltage transfer characteristics of the FEA inverter are simulated. In addition, a sample of 30 Si FEAs is characterized to determine the variations in
$a_{\text{FN}}$
and
$b_{\text{FN}}$
caused by the fabrication process. A Monte Carlo analysis is used to test the impact of variations on the FEA inverter performance.