Development of carbon-derived vacuum micro- and nano-electronic devices

In this work, nanocarbon-derived vacuum electronic devices, viz., the nanodiamond lateral triodes and transistors and the CNT integrated differential amplifiers are examined. The material properties, device structure and fabrication process, and the electrical performance of these devices are presented.

Vacuum field emission electronic devices need improved novel cold cathode materials for better and more reliable performance. The superb material properties of carbon-derived materials, the presence of low electron affinity of diamond and the high aspect ratio of carbon nanotubes (CNT), coupled with practical chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processing of deposited nanocrystalline diamond and CNT on a variety of substrates, have promoted further interest in the use of these carbon-derived materials as field emitters. Experimentally, nanodiamond and CNT emitters have been observed to emit electrons at relatively low electric fields and generate useful current densities. In this work, nanocarbon-derived vacuum electronic devices, viz., the nanodiamond lateral triodes and transistors and the CNT integrated differential amplifiers are examined. The material properties, device structure and fabrication process, and the electrical performance of these devices are presented.