The relationship between the spatially resolved field emission characteristics and the raman spectra of a nanocrystalline diamond cold cathode

Abstract

Spatially resolved electron field emission measurements from a nanocrystalline diamond film grown by plasma-enhanced chemical transport deposition have been obtained using a scanning probe apparatus with micrometer resolution. Macroscopic regions with a high emission site density, and turn-on fields below 3 V/μm, comprised approximately 1/2 of the total sample area. The emitting and the nonemitting regions of the specimen are differentiated distinctly by Raman spectra and subtly by morphologies. Both areas are largely sp3-bonded, but only the nonemitting regions exhibit a sharp line at 1332 cm−1, a well-known signature of diamond in larger crystallites.