Optically induced field-emission source based on aligned vertical carbon nanotube arrays

Abstract

Due to the high field enhancement factor and photon-absorption efficiency, carbon nan-otubes (CNTs) have been widely used in optically induced field-emission as a cathode. Here, we report vertical carbon nanotube arrays (VCNTAs) that performed as high-density electron sources. A combination of high applied electric field and laser illumination made it possible to modulate the emission with laser pulses. When the bias electric field and laser power density increased, the emission process is sensitive to a power law of the laser intensity, which supports the emission mechanism of optically induced field emission followed by over-the-barrier emission. Furthermore, we determine a polarization dependence that exhibits a cosine behavior, which verifies the high possibility of optically induced field emission.