PLANAR FIELD EMITTERS AND HIGH EFFICIENCY PHOTOCATHODES BASED ON ULTRANANOCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND

摘要

A method of forming a field emitter comprises disposing a first layer on a substrate. The first layer is seeded with nanodiamond particles. The substrate with the first layer disposed thereon is maintained at a first temperature and a first pressure in a mixture of gases which includes nitrogen. The first layer is exposed to a microwave plasma to form a nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film on the first layer, which has a percentage of nitrogen in the range of about 0.05 atom % to about 0.5 atom %. The field emitter has about 1012 to about 1014 emitting sites per cm2. A photocathode can also be formed similarly by forming a nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film on a substrate similar to the field emitter, and then hydrogen terminating the film. The photocathode is responsive to near ultraviolet light as well as to visible light.

主权项

1. A method of forming a field emitter, comprising:
disposing a first layer on a substrate; seeding the first layer with nanodiamond particles; maintaining the substrate with the seeded first layer disposed thereon at a first temperature and a first pressure in a mixture of gases, the mixture including nitrogen; and exposing the first layer to a microwave plasma to form a nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film on the first layer, the nitrogen doped ultrananocrystalline diamond film having a percentage of nitrogen in the range of about 0.05 atom % to about 0.5 atom %, wherein, the field emitter has about 1012 to about 1014 emitting sites per cm2.