Field electron emission from a nickel-carbon nanocomposite
Abstract
The field-emission properties of nanocomposite films comprised of 10 – 20 nm-sized nickel particles immersed in a carbon matrix were investigated. The films were deposited onto silicon substrates by means of a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. The composite’s structure was controlled via deposition process parameters. Experiments demonstrated that the composite films can efficiently emit electrons, yielding current densities of up to 1.5 mA/cm2 in electric fields below 5 V/µm. Yet, good emission properties were only shown in films with low effective thickness, when nickel grains did not form a solid layer, but left a part of the substrate area exposed to the action of the electric field. This phenomenon can be naturally explained in terms of the two-barrier emission model.
Supporting agencies: The work was supported by the Russian ministry of education and science (grant No. 11.G34.31.0041) and by the RFBR (grant 13-02-92709).
About the Authors
V. S. Protopopova
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
M. V. Mishin
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
A. V. Arkhipov
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
S. I. Krel
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
P. G. Gabdullin
Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg
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Review
For citations:
Protopopova V.S., Mishin M.V., Arkhipov A.V., Krel S.I., Gabdullin P.G. Field electron emission from a nickel-carbon nanocomposite. Nanosystems: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. 2014;5(1):178-185.
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