The use of anodic aluminium oxide templates for triode-type carbon nanotube field emission structures toward mass-production technology

A new triode-type field emitter structure using carbon nanotubes synthesized on an anodic aluminium oxide template is demonstrated. The emitter structure is characterized by uniform diameters and heights, as well as by high mechanical stability. The structure is proven to be advantageous in mass production. In the structure, the leakage current to the gate can be reduced to near zero by coating the insulator on the gate. Through this, a very high current density of 5 mA cm(-2) is achieved. The very high field enhancement factor of 1.5 x 10(6) cm(-1) illustrates the high performance of the triode structure, which is realized by freely using well developed semiconductor processing technologies.