Field Emission Characteristics of Composite Cold Cathode Produced with Carbon Nanotubes and C₆₀

Abstract

An electron emitter which is made of carbon nanotubes and C₆₀ crystals has been produced by wire drawing process. The nanotubes were aligned along the longitudinal direction of the wire. The emission current against the applied voltage of the emitters indicated different behavior at the first emission and the second hereafter . After the second run the emission begun at rather lower voltage. TEM observations have revealed that a protrusion arose at the tip of the nanotube after field emission. The result suggests that the I-V characteristic of the emitter is affected by the tip structure of the nanotube. The experiments lead us to a new concept of a high efficiency carbon-based electron emitter.