Sub-Threshold Field Emission from Thin Silicon Membranes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that thin silicon membranes can significantly amplify electron emission under sub-threshold electric fields, enabling ultra-sensitive electron multipliers for detection applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel transmission-type silicon membrane device that achieves strong electron multiplication via sub-threshold fields, a concept not previously explored.

Findings

Electron emission is enhanced by two orders of magnitude.

Sub-threshold electric fields stimulate electron emission.

Potential for stacking membranes to create ultra-sensitive detectors.

Abstract

We report on strongly enhanced electron multiplication in thin silicon membranes. The device is configured as a transmission-type membrane for electron multiplication. A sub-threshold electric field applied on the emission side of the membrane enhances the number of electrons emitted by two orders of magnitude. This enhancement stems from field emitted electrons stimulated by the incident particles, which suggests that stacks of silicon membranes can form ultra-sensitive electron multipliers.