Electron emission from microwave-plasma chemically vapor deposited carbon nanotubes

A microwave plasma CVD reactor was used for the deposition of carbon nanotubes on substrates, Hydrocarbon or oxyhydrocarbon mixtures were used as the carbon source. Hot electrons in the microwave plasma at temperatures exceeding 10,000C provided a means of dissociating the vapor or gas feedstock, heating the substrate, and allowing gas species to react in the gas phase as well as on the surface of the substrate leading to the deposition of desired carbon coatings. A high vacuum chamber was used to characterize the electron emission properties of these carbon nanotube coatings using a one-millimeter diameter tungsten rod with a hemispherical tip as the anode while the carbon nanotube coatings served as the cathode. The current-voltage characteristics of the carbon nanotube coatings were measured and used for calculating the electric field at which electron emission turned on as well as calculating the field enhancement factor of the carbon nanotubes. Field emission of electrons from carbon nanotubes starting from an electric field lower than 1 volt per micrometer has been achieved.