Method of making field emitters

A process is provided for forming sharp asperities useful as field emitters. The process comprises patterning and doping a silicon substrate. The doped silicon substrate is anodized. The anodized area is then used for field emission tips. The process of the present invention is also useful for low temperature sharpening of tips fabricated by other methods. The tips are anodized, and then exposed to radiant energy and the resulting oxide is removed.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating field emitters, the method comprising:

forming a pattern on a substrate comprising silicon to define isolated exposed regions;

doping said isolated exposed regions of said substrate; and

anodizing said isolated exposed regions of said substrate to form regions of field emitter tips, wherein said regions of field emitter tips are isolated by adjacent regions with relatively undoped silicon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming comprises forming said pattern on at least one of a polycrystalline silicon substrate, an amorphous silicon substrate, a microgram silicon substrate and a macrograin silicon substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with at least one of hydrogen halide, water, and a surfactant.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with said surfactant comprising at least one of ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, 2-butanol, and Triton X100.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with said hydrogen halide comprising hydrofluoric acid (HF), said hydrofluoric acid being 49 weight percent prior to anodization.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing in an electrochemical bath with a current of less than 250 mA/cm.sub.2 being applied to said electrochemical bath.

7. A process for forming sharp asperities useful as field emitters, the process comprising:

patterning a silicon substrate to form patterned and exposed areas on said silicon substrate; and

selectively anodizing said exposed areas of said silicon substrate to form a plurality of said sharp asperities in each of said exposed areas.

8. The process of claim 7, further comprising doping said exposed areas on said substrate with boron.

9. The process of claim 7, wherein selectively anodizing comprises anodizing with an aqueous solution of at least one of a hydrogen halide and a surfactant.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with at least one of ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, 2-butanol, and Triton X100.

11. The process of claim 9, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with said hydrogen halide comprised of hydrofluoric acid.

12. The process of claim 7, wherein patterning comprises patterning with at least one of a photoresist and an oxide mask.

13. The process of claim 7, wherein selectively anodizing comprises anodizing said silicon substrate in a solution comprising water, hydrofluoric acid, and isopropyl alcohol in a volume ratio of 1:1:1.

14. The process of claim 7, wherein patterning comprises patterning a silicon substrate comprising at least one of a polycrystalline silicon substrate, an amorphous silicon substrate, a microgram silicon substrate and a macrograin silicon substrate.

15. A method of fabricating isolated arrays of emitter tips, the method comprising:

forming patterned regions and unpatterned regions on a silicon substrate;

doping said unpatterned regions of said silicon substrate; and

anodizing said unpatterned regions on said silicon substrate to form the arrays of emitter tips in said unpatterned regions on said silicon substrate, the arrays of emitter tips separated by said patterned regions of said silicon substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming comprises patterning said silicon substrate with an oxide.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising disposing said array of emitter tips in a field emission display having an anode grid, wherein said oxide functions as an insulator to electrically isolate said array of emitter tips from said anode grid.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein doping comprises doping said silicon substrate with boron.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein anodizing comprises anodizing with an aqueous solution of at least one of a hydrogen halide and a surfactant.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein forming comprises patterning said silicon substrate with a photoresist.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising removing said photoresist from said silicon substrate.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein forming comprises patterning a silicon substrate comprising at least one of a polycrystalline silicon substrate, an amorphous silicon substrate, a microgram silicon substrate and a macrograin silicon substrate.