The initial stage of electron field emission from CVD diamond implanted with nitrogen

Electron field emission characteristics from chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond thin films implanted with nitrogen have been investigated. It is shown that the formation of a stable emission from these films is characterized by a three-stage process of breakdown of the implanted layer, activation of the emitter and turn-on of the stable emission. On the basis of the experiment results, a modified activation model has been suggested to analyze the mechanisms of the emission.