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Decoration of cesium iodide nano particles on patterned carbon nanotube emitter arrays to improve their field emission

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Abstract

Arrays of aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) bundles were synthesized on the pre-patterned silicon substrate using thermal chemical vapor deposition. Silicon substrate was patterned with square arrays of 10 × 10 μm iron catalyst using photolithography, iron sputtering, and a lift-off process. After field emission (FE) measurement in diode configuration, CNT emitter arrays (CEAs) were decorated with cesium iodide (CsI) nano particles (NPs) using thermal evaporation with substrate heating at 300 °C. FE of pristine CEAs and CsI NPs decorated CEAs were carried out under same vacuum condition and constant inter-electrode separation. Pristine CEAs and CsI NPs decorated CEAs were characterized using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman characterization. From FE comparison plots, it was observed that CsI NPs decoration on the CEAs had significantly lowered the turn-on electric field from 3.00 to 2.13 V/μm. A remarkable improvement of more than 50 % in the current density, from 11.02 to 17.33 mA/cm2, was also observed at a constant applied electric field of 5 V/μm.

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Acknowledgments

Authors wish to acknowledge Dr. R. Muralidharan, Director Solid State Physics Laboratory for the guidance and permission to publish the work; and Prof. K. Sreenivas, Director, University Science Instrumentation Centre, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, Delhi University for his kind help in characterization of CNTs. Acknowledgement is also due to MMIC Group, Solid State Physics Laboratory for photolithography of silicon substrate; and N.C. Mehra, Department of Geology, Delhi University for his help in characterization of CNTs.

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  1. Harsh

    Present address: Department of Physics, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, 110025, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Solid State Physics Laboratory, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India

    Monika Shahi, S. Gautam, P. V. Shah, J. S. Rawat, P. K. Chaudhury &  Harsh

  2. Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India

    Monika Shahi & R. P. Tandon

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  1. Monika Shahi
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  2. S. Gautam
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  3. P. V. Shah
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  4. J. S. Rawat
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  5. P. K. Chaudhury
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  6. Harsh
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  7. R. P. Tandon
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Correspondence to Monika Shahi.

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Shahi, M., Gautam, S., Shah, P.V. et al. Decoration of cesium iodide nano particles on patterned carbon nanotube emitter arrays to improve their field emission. J Nanopart Res 15, 1497 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1497-5

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