Effect of purity, edge length, and growth area on field emission of multi-walled carbon nanotube emitter arrays

Abstract

Present report aims to study the effect of purity, edge length, and growth area on field emission of patterned carbon nanotube (CNT) emitter arrays. For development of four CNT emitter arrays (CEAs), low resistively silicon substrates were coated with thin film of iron catalyst using photolithography, sputtering, and lift off process. Four CEAs were synthesized on these substrates using thermal chemical vapor deposition with minor changes in pretreatment duration. Out of these, two CEAs have 10 μm × 10 μm and 40 μm × 40 μm solid square dots of CNTs with constant 20 μm inter-dot separation. Other two CEAs have ring square bundles of CNTs and these CEAs are envisioned as 10 μm × 10 μm square dots with 4 μm × 4 μm scooped out area and 15 μm × 15 μm square dots with 5 μm × 5 μm lift out area with constant 20 μm inter-dot spacing. Solid square dot structures have exactly constant edge length per unit area with more than four-fold difference in CNT growth area however ring square dot patterns have minor difference in edge length per unit area with approximately two times difference in CNT growth area. Quality and morphology of synthesized CEAs were assessed by scanning electron microscope and Raman characterization which confirm major differences. Field emission of all CEAs was carried out under same vacuum condition and constant inter-electrode separation. Field emission of solid square dot CEAs show approximately identical current density-electric field curves and Fowler-Nordheim plots with little difference in emission current density at same electric field. Similar results were observed for ring square structure CEAs when compared separately. Maximum emission current density observed from these four CEAs reduces from 14.53, 12.23, 11.01, to 8.66 mA/cm2 at a constant electric field of 5 V/μm, according to edge length of 1361.7, 1221.08, 872.20, to 872.16 mm rather than growth area and purity. Although, the 40 μm × 40 μm CEAs possessed highest CNT growth area of 8.7 mm2 and best purity defined in terms of lowest defect band to graphitic band ratio of 0.614, the current observed from this CEAs was least.