Diamond/diamond-like carbon coated nanotube structures for efficient electron field emission
AssigneeFullerene International Corporation
InventorsSteven Dimitrijevic, James C. Withers, Raouf O. Loutfy
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a nanotube coated with diamond or diamond-like carbon, a field emitter cathode comprising same, and a field emitter comprising the cathode. It is also directed to a method of preventing the evaporation of carbon from a field emitter comprising a cathode comprised of nanotubes by coating the nanotube with diamond or diamond-like carbon. In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of preventing the evaporation of carbon from an electron field emitter comprising a cathode comprised of nanotubes, which method comprises coating the nanotubes with diamond or diamond-like carbon.
Claims50
A nanotube having a substantially uniform coating of diamond or diamond-like carbon, said coating of the nanotube having a thickness ranging from about 10 nm to about 100 nm.
A field emission cathode in a electron field emitter comprised of a substrate, carbon nanotubes coating the substrate and a substantially uniform coating of diamond or diamond like carbon on the nanotubes, said diamond or diamond-like carbon in said coating having a negative electron affinity the thickness of the coating on the nanotube being sufficient to prevent evaporization of carbon from the cathode during operation as an electron field emitter.
A method of enhancing the electron field emission from an electron field emitter having a cathode comprised of carbon nanotubes coating a substrate, said method comprising substantially uniformly coating the nanotube with diamond or diamond-like carbon, the thickness of the coating on the nanotubes being sufficient to prevent the evaporazation of carbon from the cathode during operation of an electron field emitter.
A method for retarding the evaporation of carbon from an electron field emitter containing a cathode in which the cathode is comprised of carbon nanotubes, which method comprises substantially uniformly coating the nanotubes with either diamond or diamond-like carbon, in an amount sufficient to prevent the evaporation of carbon from the cathode.
A method of forming a field emission cathode structure comprising a substrate having a nanotube field emission cathode affixed thereto, said method comprises coating the field emission surface of said carbon nanotube field emission cathode with a diamond or diamond-like carbon having a negative electron affinity, the thickness of the coating on the nanotubes being sufficient to prevent evaporation of carbon from the cathode.
A method of forming a field emission cathode structure comprising a substrate having a nanotube field emission cathode affixed thereon, wherein said nanotube is affixed to the substrate by depositing the nanotube on the substrate, during the process of forming the nanotube in a carbon vaporizing process wherein the nanotube is formed by condensation of vaporized carbon in a nanotube forming atmosphere prior to its deposition on the substrate, said process comprising coating the nanotube with a substantially uniform coating of a diamond or diamond-like carbon, the thickness of the coating ranging from about 10 nm to about 100 nm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.