Fabrication of field emitters with carbon nanotubes using triboelectricity

The triboelectricity method uses no adhesives but it induced by the difference of triboelectric series between materials can vertically align the carbon nanotube (CNT) emitters. CNTs are attached on a silicon wafer by dip-coating method, and then vertically aligned by the triboelectricity. The field emission property is enhanced up to 270 mu A/cm(2) at 4 V/mu m after the activation of the emitters but no emission is observed at the same electric field before activation. The triboelectricity method avoids inevitable contamination due to the adhesives of taping method and is suitable for the conventional fabrication process which uses indirect-attachment method of CNTs.