Field-emission durability employing highly crystalline single-walled carbon nanotubes in a low vacuum with activated gas

Abstract

Abstract A new approach to improving power consumption and energy efficiency is to use a simple structure with highly crystalline single-walled carbon nanotubes (hc-SWCNTs) in the cathode. We succeeded in determining the efficacy and applicability of the field emission (FE) properties of hc-SWCNTs in a low vacuum below 0.1 Pa with activated gas. In particular, the FE of 1.0 mA cm−2 of hc-SWCNTs heated at 50 °C exhibits good stability for over 600 s in a low-vacuum atmosphere with oxygen added in a cathodic planar field emitter. The improved FE electrical properties of the hc-SWCNTs can likely be attributed to the increase in the crystallinity of the SWCNTs despite the low-vacuum atmosphere. It is further expected that the hc-SWCNT field emitters will be applicable to dry etching processes because single ionized molecules or radicals can be selectively synthesized with almost no energy loss and without requiring a cooling system. Our novel SWCNTs, as a component of a flat plane-emission device, may provide a technological breakthrough for realizing both energy saving and a low carbon environment in dry etching processes as well as in semiconductor industrial development.