Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source
In this study, a single zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanoneedle structure oriented in the <100> direction was fabricated by a dual-beam focused ion beam (FIB-SEM) system, and its field emission characteristics and emission current stability were evaluated. Benefiting from controlled fabrication wit...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Yimeng Wu Jie Tang Shuai Tang You-Hu Chen Ta-Wei Chiu Masaki Takeguchi Ayako Hashimoto Lu-Chang Qin |
| author_facet | Yimeng Wu Jie Tang Shuai Tang You-Hu Chen Ta-Wei Chiu Masaki Takeguchi Ayako Hashimoto Lu-Chang Qin |
| author_sort | Yimeng Wu |
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| description | In this study, a single zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanoneedle structure oriented in the <100> direction was fabricated by a dual-beam focused ion beam (FIB-SEM) system, and its field emission characteristics and emission current stability were evaluated. Benefiting from controlled fabrication with real-time observation, the ZrC nanoneedle has a smooth surface and a tip with a radius of curvature smaller than 20 nm and a length greater than 2 μm. Due to its low work function and well-controlled morphology, the ZrC nanoneedle emitter, positioned in a high-vacuum chamber, was able to generate a single and collimated electron beam with a current of 1.2 nA at a turn-on voltage of 210 V, and the current increased to 100 nA when the applied voltage reached 325 V. After the treatment of the nanoneedle tip, the field emission exhibited a stable emission for 150 min with a fluctuation of 1.4% and an emission current density as high as 1.4 × 10<sup>10</sup> A m<sup>−2</sup>. This work presents an efficient and controllable method for fabricating nanostructures, and this method is applicable to the transition metal compound ZrC as a field emission emitter, demonstrating its potential as an electron source for electron-beam devices. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-2c047f0781f94deaa35b943c3a100a072025-01-24T13:44:06ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912025-01-011529310.3390/nano15020093Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron SourceYimeng Wu0Jie Tang1Shuai Tang2You-Hu Chen3Ta-Wei Chiu4Masaki Takeguchi5Ayako Hashimoto6Lu-Chang Qin7Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanResearch Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanState Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Display Material and Technology, School of Electronics and Information Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, ChinaResearch Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanResearch Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanResearch Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanResearch Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047, Ibaraki, JapanDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3255, USAIn this study, a single zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanoneedle structure oriented in the <100> direction was fabricated by a dual-beam focused ion beam (FIB-SEM) system, and its field emission characteristics and emission current stability were evaluated. Benefiting from controlled fabrication with real-time observation, the ZrC nanoneedle has a smooth surface and a tip with a radius of curvature smaller than 20 nm and a length greater than 2 μm. Due to its low work function and well-controlled morphology, the ZrC nanoneedle emitter, positioned in a high-vacuum chamber, was able to generate a single and collimated electron beam with a current of 1.2 nA at a turn-on voltage of 210 V, and the current increased to 100 nA when the applied voltage reached 325 V. After the treatment of the nanoneedle tip, the field emission exhibited a stable emission for 150 min with a fluctuation of 1.4% and an emission current density as high as 1.4 × 10<sup>10</sup> A m<sup>−2</sup>. This work presents an efficient and controllable method for fabricating nanostructures, and this method is applicable to the transition metal compound ZrC as a field emission emitter, demonstrating its potential as an electron source for electron-beam devices.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/2/93zirconium carbidenanoneedleelectron sourcestable field emission |
| spellingShingle | Yimeng Wu Jie Tang Shuai Tang You-Hu Chen Ta-Wei Chiu Masaki Takeguchi Ayako Hashimoto Lu-Chang Qin Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source Nanomaterials zirconium carbide nanoneedle electron source stable field emission |
| title | Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source |
| title_full | Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source |
| title_fullStr | Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source |
| title_short | Stable Field Emissions from Zirconium Carbide Nanoneedle Electron Source |
| title_sort | stable field emissions from zirconium carbide nanoneedle electron source |
| topic | zirconium carbide nanoneedle electron source stable field emission |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/15/2/93 |
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