Pulse electrodeposition of iridium oxide on silicon nanotips for field emission study

To improve electron field emission properties of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templated Si nanotips, IrO2 nanoparticles were deposited on the nanotips using bipolar pulse electrodeposition method. The IrO2 nanoparticles had a uniform size distribution with an average value of approximately 4 nm, and well dispersed on the ordered Si nanotips. Due to the small radius and a lower work function, the IrO2/Si nanotip exhibited field emission properties better than the bare Si nanotip with a field enhancement factor of approximately 128. The SEM and TEM were utilized to investigate the structure and morphology. The physical and chemical properties were evaluated XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).