Structural characteristics and field electron emission properties of nano-diamond/carbon films

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth Vol. 236; no. 4; pp. 577 - 582
• Main Authors: Jiang, N., Eguchi, K., Noguchi, S., Inaoka, T., Shintani, Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-03-2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: A1. Crystallites; A3. Chemical vapor deposition processes; B1. Diamond; B1. Nanomaterials; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electron and ion emission by liquids and solids; impact phenomena; Exact sciences and technology; Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Physics; A1. Crystallites; B1. Nanomaterials; A3. Chemical vapor deposition processes; B1. Diamond; Atomic force microscopy; Scanning electron microscopy; Raman spectra; Films; Diamonds; Field emission; Amorphous state; Experimental study; Carbon; Growth from vapor; Crystallites; Transmission electron microscopy; Nonmetals; PECVD; IV characteristic; Nanostructured materials; Nanocrystal
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-0248(01)02219-9

Nano-diamond/carbon (NDC) films were fabricated by the microwave plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor-deposition method. It is found that such NDC films exhibit much better electron emission properties. The turn-on field is only ≈2.5
V/μm, which is smaller by a factor of eight than that of the conventional microcrystalline diamond films. Raman spectroscopy and curve fitting technique were employed to investigate the bonding structure of the NDC films. The films are confirmed to consist of sp
2–sp
3 bonded amorphous matrix in which the high-density diamond crystallites are embedded. Transmission electron microscopy observation indicates that the average size of the diamond crystallites is less than 5
nm. The good field emission properties of NDC films are discussed relating to film microstructure and electrical conductivity.