Development of thin film getters suitable for field-emission display in high vacuum systems

Abstract

Recently, getters have been widely used in vacuum microelectronics requiring high vacuum. The conventional bulk getters require high-temperature activation processes to function properly as a getter, where outgassing of different gases, for example, H2, O2, H2O, CO, and CO2, contaminate the device. In addition, the conventional bulk getter itself is not suitable for microelectronic devices due to its size limitations. A thin-film getter is small enough for microelectronic applications that require no activation with excellent resonant gas absorption characteristics. Thus, it is fabricated and analyzed as a resolution to such problems. In this work, Zr film has been used as a getter material, and Ni and Pt films for catalysis and protection of the getter from oxidation. The introduction of Pt and Ni layers in thin-film getters exhibits the excellent absorption characteristics of impurity gases in high vacuum without high-temperature activation. Realization of thin-film getters overcomes the size limitations of bulk getters, enabling the getter to be used in microelectronic devices.