AVS 50th International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Wednesday Sessions
       Session AS-WeP

Paper AS-WeP17
Nitrogen Doped Carbon Nanoflake Field Emitter Synthesized by RFI PECVD on Patterned Nickel Catalyst Layer

Wednesday, November 5, 2003, 11:00 am, Room Hall A-C

Session: Poster Session
Presenter: M. Zhu, College of William and Mary
Authors: M. Zhu, College of William and Mary
J. Wang, College of William and Mary
R.A. Outlaw, College of William and Mary
X. Zhao, College of William and Mary
N.D. Theodore, College of William and Mary
V.P. Mammana, International Technology Center
B.C. Holloway, College of William and Mary
D. Manos, College of William and Mary
Correspondent: Click to Email
This paper reports the synthesis of a novel morphological form of carbon, which we call carbon nanoflake (CNF), using high-density RF inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. We observe that CNF grows rapidly in contact with a Ni catalyst which has been created using a self-assembling nano-sphere lithographic method. Experiments were performed using mixtures of hydrocarbon feedstock (methane or acetylene) diluted in hydrogen to deposit CNF onto the Ni catalyst pattern lying either on a doped-Si wafer, or lying on 300 nm of SiO@sub 2@. The gas composition was varied systematically from 10% to 100 % hydrocarbon. Pressure and temperature were varied over a small range in the vicinity of p = 10@super -1@ Torr and T = 680°C. We have also performed CNF deposition under conditions to produce nitrogen-doped CNF. SEM images show that the carbon nanoflake has edges less than 10nm wide and that the surface morphology changes with gas composition. CNF structures appear to be robust and well-suited for potential applications in field-emission devices. Kelvin Probe measurements show that the contact potential (work function) of CNF is close to that of graphite. Raman spectra show that the ratio of D to G peaks is a function of the gas composition. The paper also reports field emission tunneling parameters extracted from Fowler-Nordheim I-V curves and field emission spectra (FES).