Study of temporal current stability and fluctuations of field emitted electrons from ZnO nanostructure films

Stable field emission currents and low fluctuations are important feasibility requirements for the application of materials in field emission devices and displays, more than the low turn on fields that are generally considered. The current stability and current fluctuations of field emitted electrons from ZnO nanostructures were investigated over the period of 2, 12, and 24 h. The films with nanoneedle structure having density around ten/mu m(2) showed better short and long-term (temporal) stability over a period of 24 h. The short- and long-term stability and the current fluctuations of the nanostructures are reported and the causes for the degradation of the emission current are discussed.