Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Nanotechnology. 2009 Nov 25;20(47):475707. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/20/47/475707. Epub 2009 Oct 29.
Carbon nanotube (CNT) emitters were formed on line-patterned cathodes in microtrenches through a thermal CVD process. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) self-organized along the trench lines with a submicron inter-CNT spacing. Excellent field emission (FE) properties were obtained: current densities at the anode (J(a)) of 1 microA cm(-2), 10 mA cm(-2) and 100 mA cm(-2) were recorded at gate voltages (V(g)) of 16, 25 and 36 V, respectively. The required voltage difference to gain a 1:10 000 contrast of the anode current was as low as 9 V, indicating that a very low operating voltage is possible for these devices. Not only a large number of emission sites but also the optimal combination of trench structure and emitter morphology are crucial to achieve the full FE potential of thin CNTs with a practical lifetime. The FE properties of 1D arrays of CNT emitters and their optimal design are discussed. Self-organization of thin CNTs is an attractive prospect to tailor preferable emitter designs in FE devices.
通过热 CVD 工艺，在微沟槽中的线图案化阴极上形成碳纳米管 (CNT) 发射器。单壁碳纳米管 (SWCNT) 沿着沟槽线自组织，具有亚微米级的 CNT 间隔。获得了优异的场发射 (FE) 性能：在栅极电压 (V(g)) 分别为 16、25 和 36 V 时，记录到阳极电流 (J(a)) 为 1 μA cm(-2)、10 mA cm(-2) 和 100 mA cm(-2)。获得阳极电流 1:10000 对比度所需的电压差低至 9 V，表明这些器件的工作电压非常低。不仅有大量的发射点，而且沟槽结构和发射器形态的最佳组合对于实现具有实际寿命的薄 CNT 的全 FE 潜力至关重要。讨论了 CNT 发射器的一维阵列的 FE 特性及其最佳设计。薄 CNT 的自组织是在 FE 器件中定制可取发射器设计的有吸引力的前景。
