Zinc oxide (ZnO), a wide band gap semiconductor has been widely exploited for its application in field emission based devices. It offers various advantages like strong excitonic binding energy (60meV), negative electron affinity, and high mechanical strength making it a good candidate for field emitter arrays of flat panel display devices. However, most of the reports in literature deal with the field emission studies carried out in close proximity geometry, subject to a narrow range of applied voltage. Such type of experimental arrangement forbids the measurement at relatively higher field, as it may lead to an arc formation. The study of the field emission characteristics over a wide applied field range is critical to understand the physics at low dimensions. Moreover, the reason for the higher field enhancement and the appropriate relation of the geometry with the field emission characteristics is important and desirable. Accordingly, we have studied the field emission properties of various ZnO structures in both the configuration to elucidate the relation between morphology and geometry of emitter on the field emission behavior.
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