FIELD-EMISSION FROM ALIGNED HIGH-DENSITY GRAPHITIC NANOFIBERS

Field emission data from aligned graphitic nanofibers have been obtain ed. The aligned nanofibers are 50-100 nm in diameter and 6-10 mu m in length, with a density of 10(9)-10(10)/cm(2). The fibers were grown on polycrystalline nickel substrate by plasma-assisted hot filament chem ical vapor deposition using a gas mixture of nitrogen and acetylene. T he onset of emission current in microampere level was detected at abou t 1.8 V/mu m with an emission area of 1 mm(2). The Fowler-Nordheim mod el was used to analyze the data obtained. The field emission current r equired for flat panel display can be easily achieved at 2.5 V/mu m. ( C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(98)04241-7].