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We developed the novel pseudo crystalline silicon (pc-Si) thin films with carbon nanotube electron beam exposure technique. CNT emitters grown by resist-assisted patterning process is used for the source of electron beam to crystallize an amorphous Si (a-Si:H) thin films. The high electron energy form CNT emitters is enough to change phase to pseudo crystalline due to the network vibration of silicon atoms. The grain size distribution of Si thin films about 10∼20 nm. However, a cross section of HR-TEM image shows fully crystallized without grain boundaries.

Stable field emitters were developed using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite pastes with nickel (Ni) buffer layer. The paste CNT emitters showed lower threshold for field emission but which have short lifetime and unstable emission current in high emission current. In this paper, we developed the simple process of inserting Ni buffer layer between the CNT emitters and substrate. The paste CNT emitters with Ni buffer layer showed enhanced field emission properties than bare one. The lifetime of paste CNT emitters with Ni buffer layer were 9 hours 40 min. It's 22 times longer than without buffer layered one.

We optimized the triode structure for carbon nanotube electron beam(C-beam) application with carbon nanotube emitters grown with resist-assisted pattering process. The CNT emitters grown through the RAP process have a structure in which a number of CNTs are congregated, and the graphitization post-treatment process proceeded in order to enhance their adhesive strength and stability. The gate mesh was self-aligned with the carbon nanotube island for lower leakage current, resulting higher electron emission current and transmission ratio. With the optimized triode structure, the emission current show high performance with less than 1 cm2 area and C-beams operated more than 500 hours with constant current mode and DC driving.

The authors fabricated an optimized electron beam (e-beam) with a carbon nanotube (CNT) cathode and triode configuration. CNT emitters grown with a resist-assisted patterning process were used as an electron source. The gate mesh was aligned with the CNT emitter islands for a lower leakage current, resulting in a higher electron emission current and transmission ratio. Additionally, the width between CNT islands and the pitch between CNTs were optimized to enhance the electric field at the tip of the CNT emitters. With the optimized e-beam module, consisting of a CNT cathode and gate mesh, CNT pitch of 30 μm, dot size of 3 μm, line width of 210 μm, and gate mesh width of 75 μm, the emission current showed an increase of 165 times and operated for more than 500 h with DC driving. The optimized e-beam can be a building block for vacuum nanoelectronic devices.