Investigation of the basic physical phenomena taking place during field emission from carbon nanotube films

Abstract

Mailto: torasoire. renetruField emission from.nanotube film is accompanied by a number of phenomena occumng both inside film and at its surface. Every of them influence on field emission properties and the cathode lifetime. In the present report the peculiarities of electron transport inside nanotube films under the influence of electric and thermal fields are considered.The geometry changes of nanotubes during field emission which lead to nanotube work function variations are estimated. The threshold field value, at which nanotube breakdown has been obtained. The possibility of surface states presence at the fildvacuum interface is examined.Special attention as paid to the fluctuation spectrum analysis of emission current, which come from the relaxation oscillations of separate emission centers. This analysis allows one to study the details of electron transport inside films, and shows the ways to decrease the cathode noises.The main results of investigation of thermal processes that occur during field emission in different carbon macromolecules are also given in the report. Joule heat release from nanotubes, is studied in details, Nottingham and Peltier effects are considered, and heat conduction and radiation of nanotubes were taken in account. Carbon nanotube heat conduction coefficient vs. their diameter, chirality and number of layers is theoretically investigated.-5 1 -0-7803-8437-7/04/$20.00 02004 IEEE.