Silicon Field Emission Arrays Coated with CN_x Thin Films

Arrays of silicon micro\|tips were made by etching the p\|type (1 0 0) silicon wafers which had SiO 2 masks with alkaline solution. The density of the micro\|tips is 2×10 4 cm -2 . The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photos showed that the tips in these arrays are uniform and orderly. The CN x thin film, with the thickness of 1.27μm was deposited on the silicon micro\|tip arrays by using the middle frequency magnetron sputtering technology. The SEM photos showed that the films on the tips are smoothly without particles. Keeping the sharpness of the tips will benefit the properties of field emission. The X\|ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) showed that carbon, nitrogen and oxygen are the three major elements in the surfaces of the films. The percents of them are C: 69.5 %, N: 12.6 % and O: 17.9 %. The silicon arrays coated with CN x thin films had shown a good field emission characterization. The emission current intensity reached 3.2 mA/cm 2 at 32.8 V/μm, so it can be put into use. The result showed that the silicon arrays coated with CN x thin films are likely to be good field emission cathode. The preparation and the characterization of the samples were discussed in detail.

Field Emission of SiCN Thin Films Bombarded by Ar^+ Ions

SiCN thin films were synthesized by a radio frequency chemical vapor deposition (RFCVD) system on P\|type Si (1 0 0) wafers using C 2 H 4 , SiH 4 and N 2 as raw materials. In order to get rid of the oxygen absorbed on the surface and improve the characteristics of electron field emission, Ar + ions of low energy were used to bombard the samples. The field emission characteristics of SiCN thin films before and after Ar + bombardment were studied in the super vacuum environment of 10 -6 Pa. It was showed that the turn\|on field (defined as the point where the current\|voltage curve shows a sharp increase in the current density) decreased from 38 V/μm before bombardment to 25 V/μm after bombardment. And the maximum emission current density increased from 159.2 to 267.4 μA/cm 2 . The composition before and after Ar + bombardment was compared using X\|ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Our results illustrated that the field emission characteristics were improved after the bombardment of Ar + .

Enhanced field emission characteristics of thin-Au-coated nano-sheet carbon films

This paper reports that the nano-sheet carbon films （NSCFs） were fabricated on Si wafer chips with hydrogen- methane gas mixture by means of quartz-tube-type microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition （MWPCVD）. In order to further improve the field emission （FE） characteristics, a 5-nm Au film was prepared on the samples by using electron beam evaporation. The FE properties were obviously improved due to depositing Au thin film on NSCFs. The FE current density at a macroscopic electric field, E, of 9 V/μm was increased from 12.4 mA/cm2 to 27.2 mA/cm2 and the threshold field was decreased from 2.6 V/μm to 2.0 V/μm for Au-coated carbon films. A modified F-N model considering statistic effects of FE tip structures in the low E region and a space-chavge-limited-current effect in the high E region were applied successfully to explain the FE data of the Au-coated NSCF.

Study of Depolarization Field Influence on Ferroelectric Films Within Transverse Ising Model

An improved transverse Ising model is proposed by taking the depolarization field effect into account.Within the framework of mean-field theory we investigate the behavior of the ferroelectric thin film. Our results show that the influence of the depolarization field is to flatten the spontaneous polarization profile and make the films more homogeneous, which is consistent with Ginzburg-Landau theory. This fact shows that this model can be taken as an effective model to deal with the ferroelectric film and can be further extended to refer to quantum effect. The competition between quantum effect and depolarization field induces some interesting phenomena on ferroelectric thin films.

Effect of nitrogen on deposition and field emission properties of boron-doped micro-and nano-crystalline diamond films

In this paper,we report the effect of nitrogen on the deposition and properties of boron doped diamond films synthesized by hot filament chemical vapor deposition.The diamond films consisting of micro-grains(nano-grains) were realized with low(high) boron source flow rate during the growth processes.The transition of micro-grains to nano-grains is speculated to be strongly(weekly) related with the boron(nitrogen) flow rate.The grain size and Raman spectral feature vary insignificantly as a function of the nitrogen introduction at a certain boron flow rate.The variation of electron field emission characteristics dependent on nitrogen is different between microcrystalline and nanocrystalline boron doped diamond samples,which are related to the combined phase composition,boron doping level and texture structure.There is an optimum nitrogen proportion to improve the field emission properties of the boron-doped films.

Phase Transformation and Enhancing Electron Field Emission Properties in Microcrystalline Diamond Films Induced by Cu Ion Implantation and Rapid Annealing

Cu ion implantation and subsequent rapid annealing at 500℃ in N2 result in low surface resistivity of 1.611 ohm/sq with high mobility of 290 cm2 V-1S-1 for microcrystalline diamond （MCD） films. Its electrical field emission behavior can be turned on at Eo = 2.6 V/μm, attaining a current density of 19.5μA/cm2 at an applied field of 3.5 V/#m. Field emission scanning electron microscopy combined with Raman and x-ray photoelectron mi- croscopy reveal that the formation of Cu nanoparticles in MCD films can catalytically convert the less conducting disorder/a-C phases into graphitic phases and can provoke the formation of nanographite in the films, forming conduction channels for electron transportation.

Research on the field emission mechanism of nano-structured carbon film

The field emission （FE） characteristics of nano-structured carbon films （NSCFs） are investigated. The saturation behaviour of the field emission current density found at high electric field E cannot be reasonably explained by the traditional Fowler-Nordheim （F-N） theory. A three-region E model and the curve-fitting method are utilized for discussing the FE characteristics of NSCFs. In the low, high, and middle E regions, the FE mechanism is reasonably explained by a modified F-N model, a corrected space-charge-limited-current （SCLC） model and the joint model of F N and SCLC mechanism, respectively. Moreover, the measured FE data accord well with the results from our corrected theoretical model.

Synthesis of ZnO films with a special texture and enhanced field emission properties

ZnO films with special textures ave fabricated on Mo-coated Al2O3 ceramic substrates by the catalyst-free electron beam evaporation method, and the as-deposited films are treated by hydrogen plasma. It is found that the surface morphologies of the films are changed significantly after hydrogen plasma treatment and that the films consist of vertically standing and intersecting nanosheets. A lower turn-on field of 1.2 V/μm and an enhanced current density -0.11 mA/cm2 at 2.47 V/μm are achieved. The low threshold field and the high emission current density are attributed primarily to the unique shape and smaller resistivity of the ZnO nanosheet films.

Electron field emission characteristics of nano-catkin carbon films deposited by electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition

This paper reported that the nano-catkin carbon films were prepared on Si substrates by means of electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition in a hydrogen and methane mixture. The surface morphology and the structure of the fabricated films were characterized by using scanning electron microscopes and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The stable field emission properties with a low threshold field of 5V/μm corresponding to a current density of about 1μA/cm^2 and a current density of 3.2mA/cm^2 at an electric field of 10V/μm were obtained from the carbon film deposited at CH4 concentration of 8%. The mechanism that the threshold field decreased with the increase of the CH4 concentration and the high emission current appeared at the high CH4 concentration was explained by using the Fowler-Nordheim theory.

Simple method to rapidly fabricate chain-like carbon nanotube films and its field emission properties

A simple process to fabricate chain-like carbon nanotube （CNT） films by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） was developed successfully. Prior to deposition, the Ti/Al2O3 substrates were ground with Fe-doped SiO2 powder. The nano-structure of the deposited films was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and Raman spectroscopy. The field electron emission characteristics of the chain-like carbon nanotube films were measured under the vacuum of 10-5 Pa. The low turn-on field of 0.80 V/μm and the emission current density of 8.5 mA/cm2 at the electric field of 3.0 V/μm are obtained. Based on the above results, chain-like carbon nanotube films probably have important applications in cold cathode materials and electrode materials.

Effect of metal nanoparticle doping concentration on surface morphology and field emission properties of nano-diamond films

Nano-diamond particles are co-deposited on Ti substrates with metal(Ti/Ni) nanoparticles(NPs) by the electrophoretic deposition(EPD) method combined with a furnace annealing at 800℃ under N_(2) atmosphere. Modifications of structural and electron field emission(EFE) properties of the metal-doped films are investigated with different metal NPs concentrations. Our results show that the surface characteristics and EFE performances of the samples are first enhanced and then reduced with metal NPs concentration increasing. Both the Ti-doped and Ni-doped nano-diamond composite films exhibit optimal EFE and microstructural performances when the doping quantity is 5 mg. Remarkably enhanced EFE properties with a low turn-on field of 1.38 V/μm and a high current density of 1.32 mA/cm^(2) at an applied field of 2.94 V/μm are achieved for Ni-doped nano-diamond films, and are superior to those for Ti-doped ones. The enhancement of the EFE properties for the Ti-doped films results from the formation of the TiC-network after annealing. However, the doping of electron-rich Ni NPs and formation of high conductive graphitic phase are considered to be the factor, which results in marvelous EFE properties for these Ni-doped nano-diamond films.

A High-Luminescence Fringelike Field Emission from Screen-Printed Carbon Nanotube and Zinc Oxide Composite Film

A fringelike field emission with high-luminescence and stable emission current from screen-printed carbon nanotube mixed zinc oxide (CNT-ZnO) composite cathode was investigated. The luminescent patterns are significantly different from those observed in the field emission measure of pure CNT cathode. SEM images reveal that the CNTs are perfectly matched with ZnO powders by filling the interspaces in CNT film. XRD analysis demonstrates that the CNTs and ZnO have a high degree of crystalline perfection. Field emission measurement exhibits that the turn-on field of CNT-ZnO cathode is 2.08 V/μm, lower than 2.46 V/μm for pure CNT cathode. The large fringelike emission current at the brims of CNT-ZnO cathode is attributed to a combination of the increased effective contact area of CNTs, which decrease the sheet resistance of cathode film, and the dangled CNT bundles at the brims of CNT-ZnO film cathode.

Preparation Nano-Diamond Film by Sol-Gelled Coating Method for Field Emission Display

The mixture of Nano-graphite and organic vehicles doped to Nano-diamond paste. The suitable paste proportion was found. Nano-diamond film (NDF) was prepared by sol-gel coating method on ITO glass at 3000/min. The field emission characteristics of luminance-current, luminance-voltage and luminance-power of Nano-diamond film were analyzed and tested. Comparing these tested curves, the luminance was well proportional to current was got. Theoretic, the inner resistance of NDF field emission display (FED) consumes electric energy and real voltage change between the cathode and the anode of NDF-FED was very small after electrons emit. So the characteristic of NDF-FED was preferable to describe by luminance-current linear relationship, which was advantageous to device tested and designed.

Strain tunability of dielectric and ferroelectric properties in epitaxial lead titanate thin films

Many distinguished properties of epitaxial ferroelectric thin films can be tunable through the misfit strain.The strain tunability of ferroelectric and dielectric properties in epitaxial lead titanate ultrathin films is numerically investigated by using a phase field model,in which the surface effect of polarization is taken into account.The response of polarization to the applied electric field in the thickness direction is examined with different misfit strains at room temperature.It is found that a compressive misfit strain increases the coercive field and the remanent polarization while a tensile misfit strain decreases both of them.The nonlinear dielectric constants of the thin films with tensile misfit strains are much larger than those of the thin films without misfit strains,which are attributed to the existence of the a/c/a/c multiple domains in the thin films under tensile misfit strains.

Experimental and theoretical study on field emission properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes

Field emission properties of zinc oxide （ZnO） nanoparticles （NPs） decorated carbon nanotubes （CNTs） are investigated experimentally and theoretically. CNTs are in situ decorated with ZnO NPs during the growth process by chemical vapor deposition using a carbon source from the iron phthalocyanine pyrolysis. The experimental field emission test shows that the ZnO NP decoration significantly improves the emission current from 50 μA to 275 μA at 550 V and the reduced threshold voltage from 450 V to 350 V. The field emission mechanism of ZnO NPs on CNTs is theoretically studied by the density functional theory （DFT） combined with the Penn-Plummer method. The ZnO NPs reconstruct the ZnO-CNT structure and pull down the surface barrier of the entire emitter system to 0.49 eV so as to reduce the threshold electric field. The simulation results suggest that the presence of ZnO NPs would increase the LDOS near the Fermi level and increase the emission current. The calculation results are consistent with the experiment results.

Facile Approach to Conductive Diamond Submicro-rods Arrays and Their Field Emission Properties

The authors presented a facile approach to prepare highly-ordered sub-micrometer scaled cylindrical diamond arrays based on a chemical vapor deposition method,where the accurate control of the style of crystal seeds dispersion and the growth time are very crucial.The as-prepared diamond array showed good conductivity which was originated from the proper boron doping,and moreover,it exhibited good field emission property with low turn-on field and high emission current.Importantly,this approach can be easily applied to the preparation of various micro-patterned one-dimensional diamond arrays.

Modified Maximum Likelihood Estimation of the Spatial Resolution for the Elliptical Gamma Camera SPECT Imaging Using Binary Inhomogeneous Markov Random Fields Models

In this work a complete approach for estimation of the spatial resolution for the gamma camera imaging based on the [1] is analyzed considering where the body distance is detected (close or far way). The organ of interest most of the times is not well defined, so in that case it is appropriate to use elliptical camera detection instead of circular. The image reconstruction is presented which allows spatially varying amounts of local smoothing. An inhomogeneous Markov random field (M.r.f.) model is described which allows spatially varying degrees of smoothing in the reconstructions and a re-parameterization is proposed which implicitly introduces a local correlation structure in the smoothing parameters using a modified maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) denoted as one step late (OSL) introduced by [2].

Influence of Thickness on the Photosensing Properties of Chemically Synthesized Copper Sulfide Thin Films

We report here the influence of thickness on the photosensing properties of copper sulfide (CuS) thin films. The CuS films were deposited onto glass substrate by using a simple and cost effective chemical bath deposition method. The changes in film thickness as a function of time were monitored. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), optical measurement techniques and electrical measurement. X-ray diffraction results indicate that all the CuS thin films have an orthorhombic (covellite) structure with preferential orientation along (113) direction. The intensity of the diffraction peaks increases as thickness of the film increases. Uniform deposition having nanocrystalline granular morphology distributed over the entire glass substrate was observed through FE-SEM studies. The crystalline and surface properties of the CuS thin films improved with increase in the film thickness. Transmittance (except for 210 nm thick CuS film) together with band gap values was found to decrease with increase in thickness. I-V measurements under dark and illumination condition show that the CuS thin films give a good photoresponse.

Morphology and Field Emission of ZnO Nanomaterials at Different Positions

By simply adjusting the temperature and the number of materials, rod-like ZnO with different morphology, such as ZnO nanoneedles, were synthesized by a flexible thermal evaporation method. The ZnO nanorod array has the lowest turn-on field, the highest current density, and the highest emission efficiency due to its good contact with the substrate and relatively weak field shielding effect. Experiments show that the morphology and orientation of one-dimensional ZnO nanomaterials have a great influence on its conduction field and emission current density, and the nanoarrays also contribute to electron emission. The research results have a certain reference value for the application of ZnO nanorod arrays as cathode materials for field emission devices.

Electrodeposition and Characterization of ZnO Thin Films

Thin films of ZnO were electrodeposited from an aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)2 on indium tin oxide(ITO)-covered glass substrate. The analysis of X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron micrograph(SEM) indicated that the obtained ZnO films had a compact hexagonal wurtzite type structure with preferable (002) growth direction. A sharp near-UV emission peak located au 380 nm and a strong orange-red emission peak located at 593 nm were observed in the photoluminescence, when excited with 325 nm wavelength at room temperature. Then the prepared ZnO films were introduced as anode phosphors into the field emission test. It was found that orange-red cathode-luminescence was observed and the luminescent brightness was enhanced by annealing. When annealing temperature increased about 600 ℃, the photoluminescence with peak of 531 nm and the green cathode-luminescence were observed. The tests showed that the brightness of about 2×102 cd/m2 was obtained at electric field of 2 V/μm for annealed sample. The results revealed that the film could be a good kind of low-voltage drived cathode-luminescence phosphor.