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Polycrystalline Diamond, Boron Nitride and Carbon Nitride Thin Film Cold Cathodes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

R. W. Pryor*
Affiliation:
Institute for Manufacturing Research, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201
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Abstract

Recent observations are presented on the emission of electrons from n-type polycrystalline diamond and from two new families of nitride-based cold cathode films, n-type boron nitride (BN) and n-type carbon nitride (CN). The n-type polycrystalline diamond films were synthesized by MPECVD. The BN and CN n-type films (∼150 nm) were synthesized by reactive laser ablation on n-type polycrystalline diamond (∼24 μm) on (100)Si.

Emission current densities have been measured as high as 119 ma cm−2. Extraction fields have been observed to range from ∼0 V μm−1 up. The diamond films show a field activated thermionic behavior. Both the BN and the CN films show a power-law current density / applied field response implying a negative electron affinity (NEA) type behavior.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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References

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