GaN nanowires ͑NWs͒ have been synthesized on platinum-coated silicon͑111͒ substrates by the chemical vapor deposition ͑CVD͒ method under different NH 3 /H 2 carrier gas-flow rate ratios. X-ray diffractometer and transmission electron microscope analyses indicate that GaN NWs have wurtzite structures. Nanoscale protrusions with crystal orientation along the ͓002͔ direction were observed on the surface of GaN NWs grown under high H 2 flow rate conditions. As compared to the field-emission result of GaN NWs with smooth surfaces, GaN NWs with nanoscale protrusions exhibit a lower turn-on field of 8.5 V/m and a higher field-enhancement factor of  = 315. These nanoscale protrusions are believed to account for the enhancement of the fieldemission behaviors of GaN NWs. Gallium nitride ͑GaN͒ has a wide direct bandgap of 3.4 eV at room temperature and is a popular semiconductor material with potential applications in blue and UV light emission, high temperature, and high power electronic devices.1,2 Recent efforts have been devoted to carbon nanotubes ͑CNTs͒ and ZnO nanostructures to improve the performance of conventional Spindt-type Mo field emitters. Because Mo, CNTs, and ZnO have a work function around 4.5 eV, sharp needlelike nanostructures are required to enhance electron emission with sufficient current density. GaN has attractive properties as a material for field emitters, e.g., a lower work function ͑4.1 eV͒ and stronger chemical and mechanical stability than those listed above. These properties make it a desired alternative material for field emitters. Typical GaN nanostructure morphologies include nanowires ͑NWs͒, nanorods, nanobelts, and nanotubes. Recently, needlelike 3 structures and quasi-aligned 4 GaN NWs have been grown and studies have shown that the sharp tip is responsible for the enhancement of the field-emission ͑FE͒ properties of NWs. The resulting turn-on field is ϳ7.5 V/m for needlelike 3 GaN NWs and ϳ7.0 V/m for quasi-aligned 4 GaN NWs. In these studies, the electrons were emitted from the tip of the NW due to its high aspect ratio. The FE characteristics of various GaN NWs created from different synthesizing methods are listed in Table I. All the GaN NWs listed in this table were grown under a constant flow rate of NH 3 . However, no study has ever been performed with different carrier gases, such as H 2 . This report not only shows the effect of different NH 3 /H 2 flow rate ratios on the growth and FE properties but also demonstrates the ability to use platinum as the catalyst for GaN NW growth of many other transition metals, such as Fe, Co, Ni, and Au. Nanoscale protrusions with crystal orientation along the ͓002͔ axis were first observed on the surface of GaN NWs that were grown under high H 2 flow rate conditions. The correlation between the FE behaviors and nanoscale protrusions were also explored in this report.
ExperimentalGaN NWs were grown by thermally reacting metallic Ga ͑3 g͒ with different ratios of NH 3 /H 2 gases at 950°C for 30 min. In a horizontal quartz-tube furnace with a ...