Derivation of length of carbon nanotube responsible for electron emission from field emission characteristics

A method for deriving the length of carbon nanotube (CNT) in field emission arrays is proposed. Unlike the direct method of observation using a microscope, this method gathers information from functional measurements. Electron emission characteristics of CNT's printed on glass substrate were measured in a diode configuration. The macroscopic part of the voltage field conversion factor β was obtained from the relationship between the slope and intercept of the Fowler-Nordheim plot, and also from modeling of the electrodes. The length of the CNT was derived comparing the two values for β . The estimated length of the CNT agrees with direct measurements.