Field emission behavior of vertically aligned ZnO nanowire planar cathodes

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3549837· OSTI ID:21538148

Semet, V; Binh, Vu Thien ^[1]; Pauporte, Th ^[2]; Joulaud, L; Vermersch, F J ^[3]

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1. University of Lyon 1, Equipe Emission Electronique, LPMCN - UMR CNRS, Villeurbanne 69622 (France)
2. LECIME, UMR7575, ENSCP-CNRS, 11 rue P. et M. Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05 (France)
3. Saint Gobain Recherche, Aubervilliers 93303 (France)

A field emission (FE) study by scanning anode field emission microscopy was performed to evaluate the FE properties of vertically aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire arrays electrodeposited on a plane conductive surface. The specific FE behaviors of the cathode observed experimentally are (1) a turn-on macroscopic field of about 6 V/{mu}m for a FE current density J{sub FE} 5 x 10{sup -4} A/cm{sup 2}, (2) a stable FE characteristics for 5 x 10{sup -4} < J{sub FE} < 5 x 10{sup -2} A/cm{sup 2}, and (3) a brutal shut down of FE when J{sub FE} crossed a limiting value of {approx}0.05 A/cm{sup 2} due to a rapid evolution of the nanowires toward a bulbous tip geometry or a complete melting. A physical process of FE from ZnO nanostructures is proposed from the experimental data analyses. An effective surface barrier of about 1 eV was determined from the experimental Fowler-Nordheim plot and the presence of a Zn enriched surface was assumed in considering the possibility of important modifications of the crystallography and charge transfers at the surface of ZnO nanowires during the application of the strong electric field required for FE.

• OSTI ID: 21538148
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 109, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3549837; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CHARGE EXCHANGE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
CURRENT DENSITY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRODEPOSITION
ELECTRONS
EVOLUTION
FIELD EMISSION
ION MICROSCOPY
LIMITING VALUES
MELTING
MOLECULES
PARTICLES
QUANTUM WIRES
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
STRAINS
SURFACES
VECTOR FIELDS
ZINC OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEPOSITION
ELECTROLYSIS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION
FERMIONS
LEPTONS
LYSIS
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
NANOSTRUCTURES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SURFACE COATING
ZINC COMPOUNDS