Nanofabrication with lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) for nanoscale vacuum electronics

Abstract

We present the first nano- and microfabrication of vacuum microelectronic components incorporating lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6), a refractory low work function material with high electron emissivity. We design novel fabrication processes which yield ultra-low fill factor (<;10%) nanoscale grids of 50 nm width on LaB6 electrodes and nanoscale LaB6 tips over ~mm2 scales. Finally, we briefly discuss future applications in which such nanostructures will be applicable and ongoing R&D challenges with nanoscale grids.