High field-emission current density from ?-Ga2O3 nanopillars

Field emission from gallium oxide (?-Ga2O3) nanopillars, etched by Ne+ ion milling on ?-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/?m, is achieved. We expect that the high field enhancement factor of about 200 at a cathode-anode distance of 1 ?m 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 ?-Ga2O3 competitive or better than other well-established field emitters. © 2019 Author(s).