Surface plasmon-mediated enhanced field electron emission based on metasurfaces with a nano-gap driven by LEDs.

This article focuses on enhancing field electron emission in micro-/nano-vacuum electronic devices using light-assisted plasmonic effects driven by simple light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The study demonstrates that an asymmetric gold nanostructure array, optimized for surface plasmon resonance at a wavelength of 740 nm, can increase the electron emission current by about 25% under low voltage (<5 V) and moderate light intensity (~1 W/cm²) in atmospheric conditions. Experimental results confirm that the enhancement arises from plasmon-induced local electric field amplification, enabling electron tunneling without requiring high-power lasers or vacuum environments. This approach offers a cost-effective and integrable platform for developing on-chip optoelectronic components such as switches and modulators in micro- and nano-vacuum electronics.