Zinc oxide tetrapods as novel field emitters with low turn-on voltage
Abstract We investigate the field emission properties of tetrapod-shaped zinc oxide (ZnO) micro and nanostructures prepared using a flame transport synthesis approach. Using a piezo-driven metallic tip as an anode, we performed a local characterization from the apex of a tetrapod arm, where the effective emitting area was limited below 1 μm 2 . This configuration allows extremely low turn-on voltages, of 7 V, and a field enhancement factor of 70 at an anode-cathode distance of 600 nm. The experimental data were analyzed using the Fowler–Nordheim model, evidencing a non-monotonous dependence of the turn-on field and the field enhancement factor on the cathode-anode separation distance in the range of 100–900 nm. The ZnO tetrapods demonstrated good current stability, highlighting their potential for high-performance, low-consumption electron-emitting devices with very low turn-on voltage.
Authors
- Aniello Pelella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3831-0210)
- E. Yu. Beliayev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6991-1345)
- Enver Faella (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5782-6685)
- Filippo Giubileo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2233-3810)
- M. Passacantando (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3680-5295)
- Loredana Viscardi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9674-7752)
- Yogendra Kumar Mishra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8786-9379)
- Arun Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6333-2198)
- S. De Stefano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8492-0857)
- Nadia Martucciello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1019-1587)
- O. Durante (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3539-3858)
- Kimberly Intonti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1755-183X)
- Antonio Di Bartolomeo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3629-726X)
- Adolfo Mazzotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9021-7874)
Institutions
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Express
- Published
- 2024-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1088/2632-959x/ad9c9f
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- ZnO doping and properties
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.82
Funders
- Svend Beck, Peter Holm og Vagn Jacobsens Almene Fond
- Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education