Project R-3501

Tailored nanotip arrays in negative affinity materials as new route towards high performance field emitters (Research)

To functionalize a material's surface in a controlled way by structuring it on a nanoscale, certainly belongs to the most actively pursued goals of current materials research because new applications are expected in a variety of different fields ranging from biology to information technology. Here, we propose a new approach for the design and optimization of an electron emitter with outstanding performance which is based on the field emission effect (cold cathode). Diblock copolymer-based nanoparticle arrays exhibiting a high degree of hexagonal order and offering an easy control of particle size and interparticle spacing will be used as nanomasks for a subsequent pattern transfer into diamond and cubic boron nitride films by means of reactive ion etching. Ordered arrays of sharp nanotips with unprecedented areal densities and well designed electric and morphological properties will be created, allowing to systematically investigate and optimize their field emission properties with respect to a maximum electron current emitted from the nanostructured surface. Such a high performance electron source might have strong impact on future developments associated to, e.g., flat panel displays, compact X-ray sources or green energy production by direct conversion of heat into electricity (thermionics).

01 January 2012 - 31 December 2015