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Characterization Of The Field Emission Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes Formed On Silicon Carbide Substrates By Surface Decomposition, Michael C. Pochet

Theses and Dissertations

Dense arrays of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) form on the surface of silicon carbide wafers during high temperature anneals under moderate vacuum conditions. The novelty of this growth method is that the CNTs form without the aid of a metal catalyst, allowing for potentially impurity-free CNTs to form. In this study, CNT films were grown by the surface decomposition of silicon carbide substrates. The associated field emission characteristics were investigated to determine if films grown using this method possessed advantages over films grown using metal-catalyzed methods. The associated turn-on and threshold voltages, maximum current density, and emission current stability …