FIELD EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAMOND FILMS

FIELD EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAMOND FILMS

The field emission characteristics of diamond films deposited by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) method were investigated. Diamond films were deposited on n-type Si(100) wafer using various mixtures of hydrogen and methane gas, and the I-V characteristics are measured. We observed that the field emission characteristics depend on the $CH_4$ concentration and the diamond film thickness. All the films show remarkable emission characteristics; low turn-on voltage, high emission current density at lower voltage, uniform stable current density, and good stability and reproducibility. The threshold field for producing a current density of 1mA/$\textrm{cm}^2$ is found as low as 7.6V/$\mu\textrm{m}$.