Abstract: Ion bombardment affects the stability and lifetime of micro-tip field emission devices. In the Si field emission array (FEA), the atoms in the residual gas may collide with electrons and be ionized, so many ions could be produced. Due to the electrical field in the FEA device, the ions bombard on the Si tips. This paper analyzes the mechanism of ion bombardment on the Si tip. The process concerning ion generation and ion bombardment is numerically simulated. The damage to the tip is analyzed quantitatively, and related conclusions are given.

Key words: field emission, ion bombardment, numerical simulation