Ultralow biased field emitter using single-wall carbon nanotube directly grown onto silicon tip by thermal chemical vapor deposition

A carbon-nanotube field emitter which has single-wall carbon nanotubes with a diameter of 1-2 nm grown directly onto the Si tips by thermal chemical vapor deposition was developed. Owing to the 10-20 times smaller diameter of the nanotube than the conventional silicon (Si) tip, the fabricated carbon-nanotube field emitter showed an ultralow threshold voltage of 10 V for the field emission of electrons, which is more than ten times smaller value than the conventional Si emitter. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.