Field emission of SiCN thin films bombarded by Ar+ ions

SiCN thin films were synthesized by a radio frequency chemical vapor deposition (RFCVD) system on P-type Si (1 0 0) wafers using C2H4, SiH4 and N2 as raw materials, In order to get rid of the oxygen absorbed on the surface and improve the characteristics of electron field emission, Ar+ ions of low energy were used to bombard the samples. The field emission characteristics of SiCN thin films before and after Ar+ bombardment were studied in the super vacuum environment of 10−6 Pa. It was showed that the turn-on field (defined as the point where the current-voltage curve shows a sharp increase in the current density) decreased from 38 V/μm before bombardment to 25 V/μm after bombardment. And the maximum emission current density increased from 159.2 to 267.4 μA/cm2. The composition before and after Ar+ bombardment was compared using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Our results illustrated that the field emission characteristics were improved after the bombardment of Ar+.