Electron emission from arc-modified diamond-like carbon films at low electric field

Applying the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared. Arc conditioning of these PLD thin films yields intense cold electron field emission (FE), with the turn-on field being as low as 1.4 V/μm. Tentative UV light irradiation resulted in an intense simultaneous FE and photoemission (FEPES) at a 10% level, indicating a rather efficient field enhancement. The modified surface areas were characterized using techniques with outstanding surface sensitivity such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) or a high lateral resolution such as Micro-Raman and scanning tunneling field electron emission microscopy (FEEM) and spectroscopy (FEES). It was above all the application of the latter method which revealed a prevailing intrinsic character of this particular FE effect. The lateral distribution of the activated electron-emitting dot matrix is rather non-uniform which still impedes display applications. However, replacement of β-radioactive foils in gas-analytical devices can be hopefully envisaged.