Synthesis and field-emission properties of oriented GaN nanowires

Oriented gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires grown on Pt-coated Si (111) substrates, were synthesised using the chemical vapour deposition method under different Ga sources. The characteristics of the grown GaN nanowires were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, which found that the as-synthesised GaN nanowires of the three samples are of different orientation, and all displayed hexagonal wurtzite structures of GaN crystals. The electron field-emission properties of the three samples of GaN nanowires showed a low turn-on field of 4.5, 5.5 and 6.2 V/μm, respectively, and field enhancement factors of 1337, 2948 and 2599, respectively.