Field emission microscopy of adsorption and desorption of residual gas molecules on a carbon nanotube tip

Field emission of electrons from multiwall carbon nanotubes has been investigated by field emission microscopy (FEM) in ultra-high vacuum. A carbon nanotube, at the end of which at least six pentagons exist to make a closed cap, gives an FEM pattern consisting of bright pentagonal rings if the nanotube surface is clean. Adsorption of residual gas molecules is observed as bright spots in the FEM pattern, giving rise to an abrupt increase in the emission current. Adsorbed molecules seem to reside preferentially on the pentagonal sites where the strong electric field is concentrated. A heat cleaning of the emitter at about 1300 K allows the molecules to desorb, and the nanotube emitter recovers its original clean surface. It has been revealed that the adsorption and desorption of gas molecules are responsible for stepwise fluctuation of the emission current.     

封装钠的硼氮纳米管在垂直构型下场发射的第一性原理研究

采用密度泛函形式化的自洽方法模拟了纯的硼氮纳米管和封装钠的硼氮纳米管在垂直于管轴的电场作用下的场发射. 发现硼氮纳米管封装钠之后的近自由电子态参与场发射并表现出很强的发射特性.通过分析场发射总能量分布曲线的特征,探索近自由电子态对于场发射的作用和场发射电流对于外电场的响应. 发现在垂直管轴的发射构型下,场发射具有很灵敏的电场响应度,这是与硼氮纳米管中近自由电子态的特殊分布取向有关.     

碳纳米管场致发射中的空间电荷效应

采用微波等离子体化学气相沉积(MWPCVD)方法成功制备以碳纳米管束为单元的场致发射阵列,获得很好的场致发射电流发射特性,在电流密度较大时,发现I-V特性偏离由Fowler-Nordheim公式计算出的结果。采用Electron Beam Simulation(EBS)软件进行模拟分析发现:在电流密度较低时,I-V特性能很好与F-N公式吻合。但碳纳米管尖端电流密度大于106A/cm2时,碳纳米管尖端处的有效电场强度受空间电荷的影响比较明显,进而对碳纳米管的场致发射特性显现出不可忽略的影响,此时碳纳米管的发射电流密度开始受到空间电荷的限制。     

Thermal instability of field emission from carbon nanotubes

The mechanism that limits the emission current of a carbon-nanotube-based cathode due to the temperature dependence of the emissivity of the nanotube is studied. This limitation has the character of thermal instability that shows up as an infinite increase in the emitter temperature after a certain emission current is exceeded. The heat conduction equation is solved for a nanotube at various model temperature dependences of the thermal and electrical conductivities of the nanotube in order to derive the limiting emission current as a function of the electrical conductivity of the nanotube.     

Designing variable height carbon nanotube bundle for enhanced electron field emission

A variable height model has been implemented in order to improve the emission performance from a nanotube bundle. A Gaussian distribution of nanotube heights has been considered. This resulted in a nearly uniform electric field distribution across all the nanotubes and consequently an enhanced emission current in comparison to a nanotube bundle with all the nanotubes having the same height. Simulation results from linear as well as area nanotube bundles are reported. The analysis helped in providing a better understanding of the previously reported experimental results on enhanced field emission from plasma treated nanotube bundles having CNTs of variable heights.     

一种平行栅碳纳米管阵列阴极的场发射特性研究

建立一种平行栅碳纳米管阵列阴极,利用悬浮球模型和镜像电荷法进行计算,给出碳纳米管顶端表面电场与电场增强因子的解析式. 在此基础上,进一步分析器件各类参数以及接触电阻对阴极电子发射性能的影响. 分析表明,碳纳米管间距大约为2倍碳纳米管高度时阵列阴极的分布密度最佳,靠边缘部位的碳纳米管发射电子能力比其中心部位的大;除碳纳米管的长径比之外,栅极宽度和栅极间距也对电场增强因子有一定作用;接触电阻的存在大幅度降低碳纳米管顶端表面电场与发射电流,而接触电阻高于800 kΩ时,器件对阳极驱动电压的要求更高. 关键词： 平行栅碳纳米管阵列 悬浮球 场增强因子 接触电阻     

Influence of cesium atoms on the field electron emission from multi-walled carbon nanotubes

It has been shown that the deposition of cesium atoms on multi-wall carbon nanotubes abruptly increases the current of the field electron emission, decreases the threshold electric field by a factor of three (to 0.8 V/m), and decreases the work function to 2.1–2.3 eV. It has been found that the flowing of the large emission current I ≥ 2 × 10^?6 A leads to a change in the current-voltage characteristics and a decrease in the emission current. This effect has been explained by escape of cesium atoms from the tips of most nanotubes into the nanotube depth due to desorption or intercalation. At the same time, the low work function is retained for some nanotubes, probably, due to the stronger bonding of Cs atoms with these nanotubes.     

Forced vibration of a carbon nanotube with emission currents in an electromagnetic field

The occurrence of vibrations in a single carbon nanotubes placed in an electromagnetic field through which constant field-emission current passes has been analyzed. It has been shown experimentally that the emission current, along with the constant component, has a variable one that resonates at a certain frequency. Calculations show a relationship between the resonance frequency and the parameters of the whole system and nanotube itself. The conditions under which resonance may occur in the terahertz range of vibration frequencies have been analyzed.     

Electron holography of field-emitting carbon nanotubes

Electron holography performed in situ inside a high resolution transmission electron microscope has been used to determine the magnitude and spatial distribution of the electric field surrounding individual field-emitting carbon nanotubes. The electric field (and hence the associated field emission current) is concentrated precisely at the tips of the nanotubes and not at other nanotube defects such as sidewall imperfections. The electric field magnitude and distribution are stable in time, even in cases where the nanotube field emission current exhibits extensive temporal fluctuations.     

Effect of temperature on the electron field emission from aligned carbon nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Effect of temperature and aspect ratio on the field emission properties of vertically aligned carbon nanofiber and multiwalled carbon nanotube thin films were studied in detail. Carbon nanofibers and multiwalled carbon nanotube have been synthesized on Si substrates via direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. Surface morphologies of the films have been studied by a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. It is found that the threshold field and the emission current density are dependent on the ambient temperature as well as on the aspect ratio of the carbon nanostructure. The threshold field for carbon nanofibers was found to decrease from 5.1 to 2.6 V/μm when the temperature was raised from 300 to 650 K, whereas for MWCNTs it was found to decrease from 4.0 to 1.4 V/μm. This dependence was due to the change in work function of the nanofibers and nanotubes with temperature. The field enhancement factor, current density and the dependence of the effective work function with temperature and with aspect ratio were calculated and we have tried to explain the emission mechanism.     

Optimization of the parameters of a carbon nanotube-based field-emission cathode

A procedure for optimizing a field-emission cathode based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is developed. An array of identical equidistant vertical CNTs is considered. The optimization procedure takes into account the effect of screening of an electric field by neighboring nanotubes by solving a Laplace equation and the thermal instability of nanotubes, which limits the emission current density of a nanotube, by solving a heat conduction equation. The relation between the emission current and the applied voltage is described by the Fowler-Nordheim relationship containing the CNT tip temperature as a parameter. Upon optimization, the optimum distance between CNTs that ensures the maximum emission current density is calculated. The calculation results demonstrate that this parameter depends substantially on both the applied voltage and the nanotube geometry. These dependences are weakly sensitive to the choice of the transport coefficients (thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity) of nanotubes.     

太赫兹源场致发射电子源

通过粒子模拟(PIC)软件模拟计算了在ps级别下二极与三极结构碳纳米管场致发射的电流密度与电子注聚焦性能。阳极电压在2 kV时,二极结构下电流密度达到1.85 A/cm2;三极结构下,栅压700 V时发射电流密度达到2.3 A/cm2,且在一定的三极结构参数与电极电压下,可以获得较好的电子注聚束效果。通过碳纳米管二极管发射实验,获得了6.6 A/cm2的发射电流密度,总发射电流达到52.1 mA,可以为太赫兹器件提供连续发射的电子注。     

纳米碳管阵列场发射电流密度的理论数值优化

以纳米碳管阵列为研究对象,利用镜像悬浮球模型及Fowler-Nordheim电流密度公式,对纳米碳管阵列的场发射电流密度进行计算,进而综合考虑场发射增强因子及场发射电流密度对纳米碳管阵列场发射性能进行定量优化.参考碳管阵列场发射电流密度最大值及场发射增强因子,表明当纳米碳管阵列间距为碳管高度十分之一时,纳米碳管阵列的场发射性能得到优化.与以前的理论估算结果相比,优化的阵列间距进一步减小.当纳米碳管间距过大,场发射增强因子增加,而场发射电流密度会在更大程度上减小;当纳米碳管密度较大时,场发射增强因子受到静电 关键词： 纳米碳管 场发射 增强因子 电流密度     

Electron field emission from single-walled carbon nanotube nonwoven

Field emission from single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) nonwoven has been investigated under high vacuum with different vacuum gaps. A low turn-on electric field of 1.05\,V/$\mu $m is required to reach an emission current density of 10 $\mu $A/cm$^{2}$. An emission current density of 10 mA/cm$^{2}$ is obtained at an operating electric field of 1.88\,V/$\mu $m. No current saturation is found even at an emission current of 5\,mA. With the vacuum gap increasing from 1 to 10 mm, the turn-on field decreases monotonically from 1.21 to 0.68\,V/$\mu $m, while the field amplification is augmented. The good field-emission behaviour is ascribed to the combined effects of the intrinsic field emission of SWNT and the waved topography of the nonwoven.     

栅网结构碳纳米管冷阴极电子光学系统的设计

基于碳纳米管冷阴极实验测试结果,采用三维粒子模拟软件对大面积碳纳米管冷阴极的场致发射特性进行了仿真,研究了栅网结构不同尺寸对碳纳米管冷阴极场致发射特性及电子注通过率的影响,并在此基础上设计出面积压缩比为18,输出电流密度为14.9 A/cm2的带状注电子枪。为进一步研制碳纳米管冷阴极电子光学系统和相关微波、毫米波电真空辐射源器件提供了技术基础。     

Field electron emission form single-walled carbon nanotubes with deposited cesium atoms

It has been found that deposition g of cesium atoms on single-walled carbon nanotubes covered with potassium atoms not only drastically increases emission current but also considerably changes the shape of current-voltage characteristics of field electron emission, namely, the characteristics become nonlinear in Fowler-Nordheim coordinates. It has been assumed that this effect is associated with the fact that field electron emission in these layers comes from single-walled carbon nanotubes, which have p-type conductivity after potassium treatment, while deposition of cesium leads to the formation of p-n junctions near nanotube tips. Part of the applied voltage drops in p-n junction, thus causing a nonlinearity of current-voltage characteristics.     

单壁碳纳米管在场发射显示器中的应用研究

采用丝网印刷法将利用电弧放电法制备的单壁碳纳米管印刷在玻璃板上作为场发射显示器阴极材料，利用荧光粉阳极测试了其发光亮度，并研究其场发射性能.实验结果表明，单壁碳纳米管作为场发射显示器阴极材料具有较低的开启电场和较大的场发射电流密度，显示出良好的场发射特性.     

The nonlinear optical properties of nanotubes with spiral defects in a longitudinal magnetic field

It is demonstrated that the anisotropic transfer of photon momentum to an electronic subsystem results in induction of a photon-drag EMF in a standing electromagnetic wave along the axis of a nanotube with a spiral defect, which confirms the assumption found in the literature that the occurrence of such an effect in the presence of an external magnetic field is possible not only in 2-D systems but also in nanotubes with a spiral symmetry. One of the potential mechanisms of inducing the EMF connected with the spatial asymmetry of the electron-phonon interaction in a nanotube with a spiral defect is considered. This mechanism allows for such an EMF to occur upon heating the electron system by the Joule heat of the photon-drag current that flows through the nanotube.     

Mechanism responsible for initiating carbon nanotube vacuum breakdown

We report a physical mechanism responsible for initiating a vacuum breakdown process of a single carbon nanotube (CNT) during field emission. A quasidynamic method has been developed to simulate the breakdown process and calculate the critical field, critical emission current density and critical temperature beyond which thermal runaway occurs before the CNT temperature reaches its melting point. This model is in good agreement with experiments carried out with a single CNT on a silicon microtip.     

碳纳米管阴极强流脉冲发射特性实验

 在2 MeV直线感应加速器注入器平台上研究了采用浸渍涂覆方法制备的大面积碳纳米管阴极发射体的强流发射特性。研究结果表明：在脉冲高压电场下,碳纳米管阴极具有强流电子束发射能力,发射电流密度较大;碳纳米管阴极发射电子过程为场致等离子体发射。实验过程中,阴极端取样电阻环收集到的最大发射电流达350 A,阳极端法拉第筒收集的发射电流为167 A,最大阴极发射电流密度为19.4 A/cm²。