Controlling the growth and field emission properties of silicide nanowire arrays by direct silicification of Ni foil

Nickel silicide nanowire arrays have been achieved by the decomposition of SiH4 on Ni foil at 650 deg. C. It is indicated that the nickel silicide nanowires consist of roots with diameter of about 100-200 nm and tips with diameter of about 10-50 nm. A Ni diffusion controlled mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of the nickel silicide nanowires. Field emission measurement shows that the turn-on field of the nickel silicide nanowire arrays is low, at about 3.7 V μm-1, and the field enhancement factor is as high as 4280, so the arrays have promising applications as emitters