Efficient field emission from well-oriented Cu2O film

Well-oriented Cu₂O films comprising of octahedral-shaped crystals were grown directly on copper foil via an hydrothermal treatment. The well-oriented films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Field emission from the film showed good emission properties, and, the electron emission turn-on field (E_to) and threshold field (E_thr) are about 9.6 and 13.4 V/μm respectively, which is similar to the values reported for CuO nanofiber, although the latter has a much larger size. The corresponding Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) plots showed a linear behavior. The sharp corners of the tips are considered as main electron emitters and account for its good performance.