The Behavior of Fowler-Nordheim Plot from Carbon Nanotubes-Based Large Area Field Emitters Arrays

Abstract The Fowler – Nordheim (FN) plot behavior is investigated for field emitted electrons from virtual carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based large area field emitters (LAFEs) arrays. The field emission currents are calculated using the Murphy-Good field emission equation assuming emission from two sets of geometrically-different CNTs. No screening effects are considered in the calculations. The FN plots nonlinear behavior, in the form of an upward bend, is observed, analyzed and attributed to the emitters' geometrical features and their numbers in the arrays. The calculations emphasize that the nonlinear characteristic depends, not only on the two-class geometries of the emitters but also on the statistical distribution of these emitters in the arrays. The calculations adopted in the present work allow fitting the experimental data of the LAFEs for any desirable range of applied voltages with minimal adjustable parameters. The present investigation is believed to help further development of the LAFEs for future applications.