Highly reliable carbon nanotube field emitters for vacuum electronic devices

Abstract

We fabricated highly reliable carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitters and evaluated their performances in a harsh environment of a tiny vacuum-sealed vessel for vacuum electronic devices. The CNT paste was formulated by using a ball-milling method with optimized fillers for high-temperature endurance of the resultant field emitters. The CNT field emitters in a triode configuration showed reliable operation for over 150 h at a high current density of 0.4 A/cm2.