EFFECTS OF HEAT-TREATMENT ON THE FIELD-EMISSION PROPERTY OF AMORPHOUS-CARBON NITRIDE

As a coating material for silicon field emitters, amorphous carbon nit ride (a-C:N) by helical resonator plasma enhanced chemical vapor depos ition has been proposed. Thermal annealing in nitrogen ambient up to 6 00 degrees C was carried Out to investigate the effects of heat treatm ent on the field emission. The structural and compositional modificati ons induced by the annealing were followed by several analytical techn iques: Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, elastic re coil detection analysis (ERDA), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. FTIR and ERDA analyses indicate that hydrogen loss occurs for annealin g temperatures higher than 300 degrees C. Amorphous-C:N films signific antly lowered the turn-on voltage and increased the emission current o f the silicon emitters. After annealing at 600 degrees C, the field em ission property was further enhanced presumably due to the efficient c onduction through the a-C:N films induced by an increase of the number and/or the size of the graphitic domains. (C) 1998 American Vacuum So ciety.