Hysteresis during field emission from chemical vapor deposition synthesized carbon nanotube fibers

Abstract

Hysteresis in the field emission (FE) data of a chemical vapor synthesized carbon nanotube fiber cathode is analyzed in the regime where self-heating effects are negligible. In both the forward and reverse applied field sweeps, various FE modes of operation are identified: including Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling and space-charge limited emission from the fiber tip and FN emission from the fiber sidewall. Hysteresis in the FE data is linked to the difference in the field enhancement factors in the different FE modes of operation in the forward and reverse sweeps and related to changes in the fiber morphology.