# US 9,437,391 B2 · Carbon nanotube based micro-tip structure and method for making the same

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- Number: US 9,437,391 B2
- Document ID: US9437391B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/592,751
- Filed: 2012-08-23
- Published: 2013-08-29
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2012-02-23
- Assignees: Tsinghua University; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Yang Wei; Shou-Shan Fan
- Inventors: Yang Wei; Shou-Shan Fan
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437391B2

## CPC

- H01J 1/14: characterised by the material
- H01J 1/3044: {Point emitters}
- H01J 9/042: {Manufacture, activation of the emissive part}
- H01J 37/073: Electron guns using field emission, photo emission, or secondary emission electron sources
- H01J 63/02: Details, e.g. electrode, gas filling, shape of vessel
- H01J 63/06: Lamps with luminescent screen excited by the ray or stream
- H01J 2201/196: Emission assisted by other physical processes, e.g. field- or photo emission
- H01J 2201/30411: conical shaped, e.g. Spindt type
- H01J 2201/30469: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
- H01J 2237/06316: Schottky emission
- H01J 2237/06333: Photo emission
- H01J 2237/06341: Field emission
- H01J 2237/26: Electron or ion microscopes
- H01J 2237/28: Scanning microscopes
- H01J 2329/0455: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
- Y10T 428/24132: including grain, strips, or filamentary elements in different layers or components parallel
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A carbon nanotube micro-tip structure includes an insulating substrate and a patterned carbon nanotube film structure. The insulating substrate includes a surface. The surface includes an edge. The patterned carbon nanotube film structure is partially arranged on the surface of the insulating substrate. The patterned carbon nanotube film structure includes two strip-shaped arms joined at one end to form a tip portion protruded from the edge of the surface of the insulating substrate and suspended. Each of the two strip-shaped arms includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to the surface of the insulating substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A carbon nanotube micro-tip structure comprising:
an insulating substrate comprising a surface, the surface comprising an edge; and
a patterned carbon nanotube film structure partially arranged on the surface of the insulating substrate, the patterned carbon nanotube film structure comprising two strip-shaped arms joined together forming a tip portion protruding and suspending from the edge of the surface of the insulating substrate, each of the two strip-shaped arms comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to the surface of the insulating substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein an angle α between length directions of the two strip-shaped arms is less than 180°.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the each of the two strip-shaped arms comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube films stacked together, each of the plurality of carbon nanotube films comprises the plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a same direction, and an angle β between the plurality of carbon nanotubes in different carbon nanotube films is in a range of 0°<β≦90°.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the patterned carbon nanotube film structure further comprises two connecting portions respectively connected to the two strip-shaped arms and located on the surface of the insulating substrate, the two strip-shaped arms entirely protrude and suspend from the edge of the surface of the insulating substrate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein each of the two strip-shaped arms has a first end and a second end along a length direction of the strip-shaped arm, and a width gradually decreasing from the second end to the first end, the two strip-shaped arms being joined at the first end.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the patterned carbon nanotube film structure further defines a cutout, a lengthwise direction of the cutout is parallel to the surface of the insulating substrate, and extends along a direction from the edge to the tip portion.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 6, wherein the two strip-shaped arms are symmetrical about a symmetry axis, and the lengthwise direction of the cutout is on the symmetry axis.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 3, wherein the two strip-shaped arms are symmetrical about a symmetry axis, the plurality of carbon nanotubes in at least one of the plurality of carbon nanotube films of the patterned carbon nanotube film structure are parallel to the symmetry axis.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the two strip-shaped arms are symmetrical about a symmetry axis, the edge of the surface is straight, and the symmetry axis is perpendicular to the edge.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the two strip-shaped arms comprise a blade-shaped thickness that is thicker at a middle of the strip-shaped arms than at an edge of the two strip-shaped arms.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The carbon nanotube micro-tip structure of claim 1, wherein the patterned carbon nanotube film structure comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes protruding from the tip portion and spaced from each other.