Field-emission studies of smooth and nanostructured carbon films

Electron field-emission measurements of carbon films prepared by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) and hot-filament chemical-vapor deposition (HF-CVD) are reported. Smooth PLD carbon films, with both high- and low-sp3 contents, appear to be poor field emitters. In contrast, HF-CVD carbon exhibits very good field-emission properties, including the emission turn-on field as low as 9 V/μm, high emission site density, and excellent durability. In addition, HF-CVD was carried out at temperatures below 600 degree C, compatible with the use of glass substrates. The promising field-emission properties of HF-CVD carbon are attributed to the nanostructured nature of this material. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics