Design and Fabrication of CNT-Based ${E}$ -Gun Using Stripe-Patterned Alloy Substrate for X-Ray Applications

We report the enhancement of carbon nanotube (CNT) field emitters by growing them directly on stripe-patterned alloy substrates. For a gate voltage of 1300 V, CNT field emitters grown on full and stripe-patterned alloy substrates achieved respective emission currents of 0.22 and 2.32 mA, corresponding to tenfold performance enhancement. Performance enhancement is attributed to the reduced screening effect (as a result of the spacing between strips) during field emission and a damage-free patterning process. To verify the ability of the stripe-patterned CNT field emitters to generate X-rays, we designed and assembled an electron gun through brazing. With the open type X-ray system, an X-ray image of human teeth was successfully obtained, verifying the potential of the stipe-patterned CNT emitters in X-ray applications.