Growth of Microcrystalline Diamond Films on Textured Si Substrates to Enhance the Electron Field Emission Properties

Abstract

In this study, we grew a microcrystalline diamond film on a textured Si substrate (MCD/textured Si) and demonstrated the improved electron field emission (EFE) properties of the film. We used a simple wet chemical etching method to fabricate the textured Si substrate and then grew the MCD film by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Although the Raman spectroscopy profile of the MCD film was essentially unchanged, the surface morphology of the MCD film was altered markedly owing to the utilization of the textured substrate as a template. Hillocks of nanodiamond aggregates, rather than large grain granular structures, were formed for the MCD/textured Si films. The turn-on field for the EFE of the MCD/textured Si film was as small as 3.2 V/µm, with a current density as large as 751 µA/cm2 (at an applied field of 8.8 V/µm). The enhanced EFE properties of the thus-obtained MCD/textured Si film, along with the simplicity and cost-effectivity of the substrate texturing process, renders the MCD/textured Si film a good candidate for application as an electron field emitter.