Direct synthesis of micropillars of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on stainless-steel and their excellent field emission properties

Vacuum micro/nano-electronics can greatly benefit from the improved emission current density and temporal stability of electron beam due to morphological control direct contact cold field-emitters on a conducting substrate. In this work, high-performance vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) pillar-based field-emitter arrays (VACNT-P-FEAs) were synthesized directly stainless-steel (SS) via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Nanosphere lithography was employed limit growth sites VACNTs form VACNT-P-FEAs different sizes SS The field (FE) properties dependent size pillar emitters. Remarkable FE properties, such as low turn-on electric (ETo = 1.57 V/?m), threshold (ETh 2.94 high enhancement factor (? 4977), (?33 mA/cm2 at 4 V/?m) observed grown using polystyrene microspheres (450 nm diameter) for lithography. excellent performance be ascribed inherent sample, conductivity substrate, resistance between substrate VACNTs, suitable number active VACNT field-emitters, reduced screening effect pillars.