Field emission characteristics of carbon nanofiber improved by deposition of boron nitride nanocrystalline film

An improvement in field emission characteristics of a graphite nanofiber (GNF) has been attempted. Boron nitride (BN) films are synthesized by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. It is demonstrated that electron emission occurs at a low anode voltage due to depositing the BN nanocrystalline film on flat Si substrates. Deposition of the BN nanocrystalline film is applied to the GNF to improve the field emission characteristics of the GNF. In addition to a reduction in the average turn-on electric field, the emission current increases by two orders of magnitude in comparison with that of an as-grown GNF.