Electron emission from amorphous carbon nitride films

Abstract

We propose a model of field electron emission from amorphous carbon nitride films. According to this model, emission occurs at protrusions of the film surface. Most of the emitted electrons come from states with energy within a rather narrow region about the Fermi level, which shifts with nitrogen concentration but remains within the mobility gap of the film. The model reproduces reasonably well the observed variation of the emitted current with the externally applied electric field and with the nitrogen concentration.