Field emission properties of carbon nanotubes grown on silicon nanowire arrays

Carbon nanotubes are synthesized on the silicon nanowire arrays which are fabricated on silicon substrate by chemical vapor depositing SiCl₄ and H₂ gases in the presence of Au catalysts. The silicon nanowires are single-crystal with lengths up to 100 μm and diameters ranging from 50 to 500 nm. The tangled carbon nanotubes are grown directly from the surface of Si nanowires. The field emission properties of the carbon nanotubes are investigated at the gap of 200 μm. The low turn on and threshold fields are obtained. The stabilization of the emission currents is also presented.