Fully 3D-printed carbon nanotube field emission electron sources with in-plane gate electrode
| Autor: | Luis Fernando Velasquez-Garcia, Imperio Anel Perales-Martinez |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Materials science
Fabrication Bioengineering 02 engineering and technology Carbon nanotube 010402 general chemistry 01 natural sciences law.invention Triode law General Materials Science Electrical and Electronic Engineering business.industry Mechanical Engineering General Chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology 0104 chemical sciences Anode Field electron emission Mechanics of Materials Torr Electrode Optoelectronics Cold cathode 0210 nano-technology business |
| Zdroj: | Nanotechnology. 30(49) |
| ISSN: | 1361-6528 |
| Popis: | We report the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of the first fully additively manufactured carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission electron sources. The devices are created via direct ink writing (DIW)—one of the least expensive and most versatile additive manufacturing methods, capable of creating monolithic multi-material objects. The devices are 2.5 cm by 2.5 cm glass substrates coated with two imprints, i.e. a trace made of a CNT ink (the emitting electrode), symmetrically surrounded on both sides by a trace made of Ag microparticle ink (the in-plane extractor gate). The CNT ink is a mixture of (–COOH)-functionalized multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs), N,N-Dimethylformamide, and ethyl cellulose. Optimization of the formulation of the CNT ink resulted in a MWCNT concentration equal to 0.82 wt% and in imprints with an electrical resistivity equal to 0.78 Ω cm. 3D-printed devices having CNT imprints with active length equal to 25 mm (a single, straight trace with 174.5 μm gap between adjacent Ag microparticle imprints) and 135 mm (a square-loop spiral with 499 μm gap between Ag microparticle adjacent imprints) were characterized in a triode configuration (i.e. using an external anode electrode) at ∼2.5 × 10–7 Torr, yielding emission currents as large as 120 μA (60 μA cm−2), start-up voltages as low as 62 V and gate transmission as high as 99%. The low-cost cold cathode technology is compatible with compact applications such as miniaturized mass spectrometry, handheld x-ray generation, and nanosatellite electric propulsion. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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