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Fabrication of Patterned Carbon Nanotube Field Emission Surfaces on SiC Substrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2013

Michael Pochet ,
Jonathon Campbell ,
Ronald Coutu ,
Steven Fairchild  and
John Boeckl
Michael Pochet*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA
Jonathon Campbell
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA
Ronald Coutu
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA
Steven Fairchild
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, AFRL/RXPS, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA
John Boeckl
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, AFRL/RXPS, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433, USA
*
*Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This work focuses on the patterning of SiC substrates prior to carbon nanotube (CNT) formation using the surface decomposition growth method for the purpose of improving the field emission capabilities of the resultant CNT film. The thermal decomposition of silicon carbide (SiC) substrates is an established approach to create highly dense arrays of vertically aligned CNTs. The attractiveness of this growth approach is that the CNTs form without the aid of a catalyst metal, yielding potentially defect free CNTs ideal for various applications. Due to the high temperature anneals (1400-1700oC) and moderate vacuum conditions (10−2 – 10−5 Torr) necessary for the thermal decomposition process to initiate on the SiC substrate, patterning CNT outcroppings ideal for enhancing the surface’s field emission properties is more difficult when compared to metal catalyst based chemical vapor deposition growth processes on silicon substrates. The intent of the SiC patterning is to reduce field screening effects between neighboring emission sites during field emission while maintaining a high emission site density. Specifically, the SiC substrate is etched to form μm scale pillars on the SiC surface. Experimental findings show that SiC substrates patterned with μm scale pillars can be decomposed to form CNT topped field emission sites, yielding a field emission substrate that outperforms a non-patterned SiC/CNT film. A turn-on electric field of 4.0 V/μm was measured.

Keywords

field emissionnanostructurescanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1505: Symposium W – Carbon Nanomaterials , 2013 , mrsf12-1505-w03-42
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013

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