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Electrochemical Etching and Characterization of Sharp Field Emission Points for Electron Impact Ionization
Published on: July 12, 2016
Fluorinated diamond like carbon as an electron field emission material
Sk F Ahmed1, M K Mitra, K K Chattopadhyay
1Department of Physics, Thin Film and Nanoscience Laboratory, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
|November 26, 2009
Summary
Fluorine doping in diamond-like carbon (DLC) films significantly enhances electron field emission. This study shows that incorporating fluorine reduces the threshold electric field, improving emission properties for electronic applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
- Plasma Physics
Background:
- Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are known for their unique properties.
- Electron field emission is crucial for various electronic devices.
- Fluorine incorporation can modify DLC film characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of fluorine doping on the electron field emission properties of DLC films.
- To correlate fluorine content with changes in film microstructure and emission performance.
Main Methods:
- Deposition of fluorinated DLC (F:DLC) films using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).
- Characterization using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) for fluorine content.
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for chemical bonding analysis.
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM) for surface morphology.
- Electron field emission measurements at a fixed anode-sample separation.
Main Results:
- Fluorine content in F:DLC films varied from 0% to 15.3%.
- Surface roughness increased with higher fluorine percentages.
- The threshold electric field for electron emission decreased from 8.5 to 2.9 V/µm as fluorine content increased.
- XPS confirmed changes in chemical binding states due to fluorine.
Conclusions:
- Fluorine doping effectively reduces the threshold electric field and effective emission barrier in DLC films.
- F:DLC films exhibit improved electron field emission properties compared to undoped DLC.
- These findings suggest potential applications of F:DLC in field emission devices.
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