Lateral vacuum microelectronic logic gate design

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-1991

Abstract

A detailed calculation of static electric fields and electron trajectories is used for designs of vacuum microelectronic NOR and NAND logic gates based on a wedge-shaped field emission cathode. A basic pentode device that permits a compact physical layout has lateral electron trajectories and a field emission wedge-shaped cathode. Electric fields at the cathode surface are calculated using a special zooming technique based on a 1600-point spatial matrix. Cathode current is calculated using the Fowler-Nordheim equation form but with constants adjusted to match available experimental data. The gates modeled are direct-coupled-vacuum-microelectronic logic (DCVML) capable of large fan-in and fan-out. The basic pentode device modeled with a 1 mu m cathode-to-extraction grid spacing has total layout dimension of 17 mu m. The pentode device geometry greatly reduces a major problem of high grid current by making use of two deflector electrodes. The deflectors also provide trajectory confinement to reduce the device size.

Identifier

0026172476 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1088/0960-1317/1/2/005

ISSN

09601317

First Page

126

Last Page

134

Issue

2

Volume

1

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