ELECTRON-EMISSION FROM NANOCRYSTALLINE BORON-NITRIDE FILMS SYNTHESIZED BY PLASMA-ASSISTED CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION

Boron nitride (BN) films were synthesized using BCl3 and N-2 as source gases by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD). The BN fi lm consists of hexagonal grains of 3 nm in size. The energy gap is est imated to be as wide as 6.0 eV from ultraviolet-visible optical transm ission measurement. The electrical resistivity is estimated to be 2 x 10(11) and 1.3 x 10(2) Ohm cm for undoped and sulfur-doped BN films, r espectively. The electron emission current is detected at electric fie lds higher than 9 V/mu m. The tunneling barrier height is estimated to be 0.1 eV from the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) plot. It is demonstrated that the electron emission characteristic of Si tip array is much improved by coating with BN film. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.