SBIR Phase I: High Efficiency Diamond Micro-Cold Cathode for Electron Field Emission

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*** ABSTRACT 9660272 Pan This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a novel and high efficiency diamond micro-cathode and micro-cathode array by synthesizing and depositing nanocrystalline diamond thin films on conductive micro-fiber ends through a unique chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Diamond has recently emerged as a promising electron field emission cathode due to its unsurpassed electron field emission properties of low voltage and room temperature operation, operation robustness, simple design, and reproducibility. However, the present diamond cathodes are microcrystalline diamond thin films deposited on macrosubstrate (mm to cm size) by a conventional diamond CVD process. These microcrystalline diamond cathodes have been recently identified to have the following drawbacks. Only 1-10% or less of the diamond cathode surface is active and contributes nearly all the current produced, resulting in an overall low emission efficiency. The distribution of the minority populated active emission sites is also random and uncontrolled. The electron emission from each individual emission site can not be independently controlled either. These drawbacks are expected to be overcome by the development of this novel nanocrystalline diamond micro-cathode by the demonstration of significantly improved field emission efficiency, very high current density at low operation field, controlled emission performance and emission pattern. The successful completion of the Phase I program will result in the development of a new generation diamond field emission cathode. The significantly improved efficiency, high available current density at low field, flexibility in emission control and emission pattern, operation robustness, and simple fabrication are expected to benefit a large variety of vacuum-electronic applications ranging from flat panel displays, TV and computer screens, aircraft vision displays to high energy accelerator physics. Because of the high efficiency, the cost of the new diamond cathodes will also be substantially reduced. ***