The Effect of Aspect Ratio and SP2/SP3 Content on the Field Emission Properties of Carbon Films Grown by N2-Spiked PECVD

We have deposited carbon films from mixtures of methane and N2 using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. By changing the percentage of N2 in the feed gas, we were able to produce films that have various aspect ratios and sp2/sp3 contents. The film with the highest field emission contains spears of aspect ratio of 10:1. We also found that in our sp3-rich films, higher sp2 content enhanced field emission. This is ascribed to improved charge transport to the field emission sites.