Effects of Interfacial Electron Transport on Field Electron Emission from Carbon Nanotube Paste Emitters

Field electron emission from carbon nanotubes (CNT) is preceded by the transport of electrons from the cathode metal to emission sites. Specifically, a supporting layer indispensable for adhesion of CNT paste emitters onto the cathode metal would impose a potential barrier, depending on its work function and interfacial electron transport behaviors. In this paper, we investigated the supporting layer of silicon carbide and nickel nanoparticles reacted onto a Kovar alloy (Fe-Ni-Co) cathode substrate, which has been adopted for reliable CNT paste emitters. The X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements showed that the reaction of silicon carbide and nickel nanoparticles on the Kovar metal strongly depends upon the post-vacuum-annealing conditions and can be classified into two procedures of a diffusion-induced reaction (DIR) and a diffusion-limited reaction (DLR). The prolonged annealing at 750 °C for 5 h before the main annealing of the CNT paste emitters at 800 °C for 5 min led to the DIR that has enhanced the Ni silicide phase and a lower potential barrier for the interfacial electron transport, resulting in increased and weakly temperature-dependent field electron emission from the CNT paste emitters. On the other hand, the DLR with only the main anneal of the CNT paste emitters at 800 °C for 5 min gave rise to a higher potential barrier for the electron transport and so lower and strongly temperature-dependent field electron emission. From the results of the interfacial electron transport for the DIR and DLR mechanisms in the CNT paste emitters, we concluded that the ambient temperature dependency of field electron emission from CNT tips in the moderate range of up to 400 °C, still controversial, is mainly attributed to the supporting layer of the CNT emitter rather than its intrinsic electron emission.