Fabrication of carbon nanotube film arrays for field emission flat panel display application

The unique electron field emission properties of carbon nanotube films are promising for flat panel display application as the cold cathode. In this work, the multiwall carbon nanotube (10-102 nm in diameter, and 10³-10⁴ nm in length) film arrays (the pixel size: 50 μm x50 μm) were deposited on the patterned Ni-Si substrate from hydrocarbon precursor (C₂H₂/H₂) by chemical vapor deposition at low temperature (550° C). The patterned films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The carbon nanotube film arrays exhibit good electron emission properties, e.g. low threshold emission field (below 2 V / μm), high emission current density (above 1 mA/cm² at 10 V / μm), and high emission luminance spot density on the phosphor coated-ITO(indium tin oxide)-glass anode. These properties are good enough for high-resolution flat panel display application using carbon nanotube film arrays as the cathode.