Needle-shaped silicon carbide nanowires: Synthesis and field electron emission properties

Bunches of needle-shaped silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires were grown from commercially available SiC powders in thermal evaporation process and using iron as catalyst. Their structure and chemical composition were studied by Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The powder of these nanowires may be easily dispersed, and was used to form samples of field electron emitters. The needle shape of individual nanowires is well-suited to field electron emission. Stable emission with current density of 30.8 mA/cm(2) was observed at fields as low as 9.6 V/mum, and current density of up to 83 mA/cm(2) was recorded. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.