Nanometer-scale distribution of field emission current from the arc-prepared carbon thin film

Nagashima, Shinya; Fujita, Syun; Adachi, Kotaro; Yamada, Yoichi; Sasaki, Masahiro

doi:doi:10.1116/1.3333437

Volume/Page
Keyword
DOI
Citation
Advanced

Volume: Page/Article:

Search Content Type

article doi:

Citation:

You are not logged in to this journal. Log In

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B / Volume 28 / Issue 2 / PAPERS FROM THE 22nd INTERNATIONAL VACUUM NANOELECTRONICS CONFERENCE / Fundamental

Previous Article | Next Article

J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 28, C2A13 (2010); http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3333437 (6 pages)

Nanometer-scale distribution of field emission current from the arc-prepared carbon thin film

Shinya Nagashima, Syun Fujita, Kotaro Adachi, Yoichi Yamada, and Masahiro Sasaki

Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan

View Map

(Published online 31 March 2010)

Abstract

References (26)

Article Objects (10)

Alerts
- Alert Me When Cited
- Alert Me When Corrected
Tools
Share
- Email Abstract
- Connotea
- CiteULike
- del.icio.us
- BibSonomy
- Tweet this Article
- Add to Facebook

Full Text: Read Online (HTML) | Download PDF | Rent Article | Buy PDF (US$28) | View Cart

In order to clarify the mechanism of low-macroscopic-field (LMF) electron emission from carbon related materials, atomistic properties including local tunneling barrier height (LBH) and field emission (FE) current distributions of the arc-prepared carbon thin film have been measured by using scanning tunneling microscopy. From the LBH images, it is found that the carbon thin film surface consists of nanometer-scale graphite grains whose crystallinities and electronic properties are different although the local work function of the film is rather homogeneous. The obtained FE images show that the FE currents are varied more than one order of magnitude, depending on the grains, and that the FE current is higher at the edge of the individual grains. The authors cannot find any specific emission sites that give extremely higher emission currents, indicating that the specific emission sites such as high-aspect-ratio nanoprotrusions or atomistic defects are not responsible to the LMF electron emission from carbon related materials.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to express the thanks to M. Nagao of AIST for the preparation and the FE characterization of the Si single emitters with and without carbon coating, and S. Ohnari of University of Tsukuba for the measurement of the Raman spectrum of the carbon thin film. This work was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Specific Research of Priority Area “Microplasma” (Grant No. 18030003) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

Article Outline

INTRODUCTION
FE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CARBON FILM
EXPERIMENT
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
SUMMARY

View more related articles.

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

carbon, crystal microstructure, electron field emission, nanostructured materials, scanning tunnelling microscopy, surface states, surface structure, thin films, tunnelling, work function, carbon film, graphite, graphene

PACS

79.70.+q

Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption
73.40.Gk

Tunneling
73.30.+y

Surface double layers, Schottky barriers, and work functions
68.37.Ef

Scanning tunneling microscopy (including chemistry induced with STM)
68.55.Ln

Defects and impurities: doping, implantation, distribution, concentration, etc.
61.46.-w

Structure of nanoscale materials

RELATED DATABASES

To view database links for this article, you need to log in.

History

Received 10 September 2009
Accepted 1 February 2010
Published online 31 March 2010

Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.3333437

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1071-1023 (print)

1520-8567 (online)

Publisher

American Vacuum Society

For access to fully linked references, you need to log in.

Figures (10)

Access to article objects (figures, tables, multimedia) requires a subscription; log in to view available files.
(Access to supplementary files, where available, is free for this journal.)