Fabrication and Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes Integrated on Field-Emission Diode

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) deposited by electrophoresis on a free-standing thin metal film edge are demonstrated. These CNTs act as electron field emitter which was integrated on the cathode of the field-emission vacuum diode. This diode exhibits a low reverse leakage current (<10
^-11
) with high on-off ratio of 10
⁶
. Owing to the low turn-on voltage of the nanosized CNTs, the field-emission diode exhibited less power consumption compared with the conventional vacuum-tube diode. Electronic tests of this vacuum diode perform its fast switching speed ability and high voltage rectification. This approach presents a route to use nanomaterials with a microelectromechanical system process to develop high-speed vacuum microelectronics.