Abstract
Graphite nanofiber (GNF) is a field emission material consisting of intricately tangled nano-sized carbon fibers and has similar field emission characteristics to CNT. An important issue in achieving practical use of FED (field emission display) using carbon nano-materials is how to attain emission uniformity. With the objective of uniformity, field emission characteristics of GNF emitter were examined using a scanning Faraday cup emission profiler. The current density of emitted electrons changed considerably over the emitting area at a low field, as high as two orders in intensity in a measuring emitter area of 1 mm2. However, uniformity was significantly improved due to current saturation at a high field. This paper discusses the current saturation in field emission of GNF from the space-charge effect of emitted electrons.
