High field-emission current density from β-Ga2O3 nanopillars

Field emission from gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) nanopillars, etched by Ne+ ion milling on β-polymorph (100) single crystals, is reported. A stable field emission current, with a record density over 100 A/cm2 and a turn on field of ∼ 30 V/μm, is achieved. We expect that the high field enhancement factor of about 200 at a cathode-anode distance of 1 μm can be further increased by optimizing the shape of the nanopillar apex. This work demonstrates that the material properties combined with an appropriate nano-patterning can make β-Ga2O3 competitive or better than other well-established field emitters.Field emission from gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) nanopillars, etched by Ne+ ion milling on β-polymorph (100) single crystals, is reported. A stable field emission current, with a record density over 100 A/cm2 and a turn on field of ∼ 30 V/μm, is achieved. We expect that the high field enhancement factor of about 200 at a cathode-anode distance of 1 μm can be further increased by optimizing the shape of the nanopillar apex. This work demonstrates that the material properties combined with an appropriate nano-patterning can make β-Ga2O3 competitive or better than other well-established field emitters.