FIELD-EMISSION CURRENT FROM DIAMOND FILM DEPOSITED ON MOLYBDENUM

Field-emission current from chemical vapor deposited diamond film on m olybdenum wafer has been investigated experimentally and theoretically . The Fowler-Nordheim plot exhibits three linear regimes, correspondin g to low, middle, and high electric field, respectively. A potential b arrier model, based on a fact that metal carbide, Mo2C, exists at the interface between diamond and substrate, is presented. In terms of thi s model, the expression of field-emission current from diamond on Mo h as been derived. The theoretical results agree qualitatively with the experimental observation and indicate that the emission current is rel ated to the thickness of Mo2C and diamond under low and middle electri c field, however, no similar relationship is found under high field. ( C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)07314-9].