A Study of Field Electron Emission from Thin Amorphous-Carbon-Nitride Films

Significant field emission has been observed from thin (< 1000 Å) amorphous-carbon-nitride (a-CN) films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectrometry, and UV-visible optical absorption spectrometry have been used to characterize the films. The field emission properties of the thin film have been studied by using a transparent anode imaging system. It is proposed that this class of films should be studied as candidates of coating material for cold cathode emitter, in order for one to benefit from their very high thermal conductivity and super hardness.