Field emission properties of individual zinc oxide nanowire field emitter

摘要

The authors report the field emission (FE) properties of individual ZnO nanowire field emitters. ZnO nanowire field emitter directly grown on a Pt tip showed a much better field emission current delivery than the attached nanowire emitters due to better contact properties. The emission current and field emission microscopy pattern of the ZnO nanowire are strongly influenced by adsorbates. After thermal-field desorption of adsorbates from the emission tip, the I-V curve shows a complex behavior that is different from that of the adsorbate-covered tips or ideal FE. For completeness, the effects of O_2 and H_2 gas exposure, and UV illumination on the FE current are also discussed.