High-Performance Field Emitters Based on SiC Nanowires with Designed Electron Emission Sites

Making field emitters with both low turn-on field (E-to) and high current emission stability is one of the keys to push forward their practical applications. In the present work, we report the exploration of high-performance field emitters with designed sharp corners around SiC nanowires for fundamentally enhanced electron emission sites. The sharp corners with tailored densities are rationally created based on a facile etching technique. Accordingly, the emission sites and nanowires are integrated into a single-crystalline configuration without interfaces, which could offer the emitters with a robust structure to avoid the structural damage induced by the generated Joule heat and electrostatic forces over long-term field emission (FE) operation. Consequently, the E-to of the as-fabricated SiC field emitter is low down to 0.52 V/mu m, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art one ever reported. Moreover, they have high electron emission stability with a current fluctuation of just 2% over 10 h, representing their promising applications in FE-based electronic units.

Automated summary

This study introduces a high-performance field emitter with designed sharp corners, achieving a low E-to of 0.52 V/μm and a current fluctuation of only 2% over 10 hours. This design enhances electron emission sites and prevents damage during long-term operation.