An analysis of wide band gap materials from the point of view of their application in cold emission devices is presented, and criteria of material choice for device application are discussed. Not only material but also technological parameters are taken into consideration. Among the material parameters, the following were found to be the most important; electron affinity, dielectric constant, thermal conductivity, melting point, chemical and physical robustness. The major technological parameter is compatibility of the material deposition process with commercially available facilities and other steps of cathode fabrication. It was shown that wide band gap materials are most effective for emission if deposited on sharp conductive tips. Experimental results from diamond, AlN, -BN, and field emitters are presented and some possible mechanisms explaining their characteristics are discussed.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
May 1997
The 43rd national symposium of the American Vacuum Society
14-18 Oct 1996
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA)
Research Article|
May 01 1997
Wide band gap materials for field emission devices
V. V. Zhirnov;
V. V. Zhirnov
Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Search for other works by this author on:
G. J. Wojak;
G. J. Wojak
Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Search for other works by this author on:
W. B. Choi;
W. B. Choi
Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Search for other works by this author on:
J. J. Cuomo;
J. J. Cuomo
Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Search for other works by this author on:
J. J. Hren
J. J. Hren
Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695
Search for other works by this author on:
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 15, 1733–1738 (1997)
Article history
Received:
November 06 1996
Accepted:
March 24 1997
Citation
V. V. Zhirnov, G. J. Wojak, W. B. Choi, J. J. Cuomo, J. J. Hren; Wide band gap materials for field emission devices. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 1 May 1997; 15 (3): 1733–1738. https://doi.org/10.1116/1.580929
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionPay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Citing articles via
Related Content
Effect of double layer coating on carbon nanotubes for field emission and secondary electron emission measurement
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B (March 2007)
Environmental effect on the electron emission from diamond surfaces
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B (May 1998)
Improved field emission properties from polycrystalline indium oxide-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes
J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B (November 2008)
Analog decoding using neural networks
AIP Conference Proceedings (August 1986)
Carbon nanotube/nanodiamond structures: An innovative concept for stable and ready-to-start electron emitters
Appl. Phys. Lett. (December 2009)