Field Emission Performance of Boron Nitride Nanotube Emitters According to Vacuum Pressure

Abstract

Field emission performance of boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) fabricated by simple filtration-transfer method, were evaluated according to vacuum pressure to estimate its potential use for robust electron sources. Even though there is little change in the current density-electric field characteristics, the stability test for a relatively long time shows somewhat large degradation at a vacuum pressure of over 10 ^-5 Torr. To investigate a key factor of the degradation, we changed the vacuum ambient from air to argon. Under argon ambient condition, the current degradation and fluctuation rates were almost the same as those measured under air ambient at a vacuum pressure of 10 ^-5 Torr. Consequently, ion bombardment dominantly induced the current degradation of the BNNT field emitters rather than oxidation effect.