Field emission from cobalt-containing amorphous carbon composite films heat-treated in an acetylene ambient

Cobalt-containing amorphous carbon composite films have been prepared by the filtered cathodic arc technique using a cobalt-containing graphite target at room temperature. After heat treatment at 550°C in a mixture of acetylene and nitrogen gases, the field emission properties were significantly improved. A threshold electric field of 1.7 V/μm and an emission site density of 10⁵/cm² were obtained without conditioning. The composite films, which can be deposited with a high rate at room temperature and require a relatively low temperature heat-treatment process to enhance electron emission, are promising for practical applications in field emission display.