Field emission from zinc oxide nanopins

Nanostructural zinc oxide pins have been fabricated by vapor transport on copper-coated silicon wafer. The nanopins are composed of hexagonal wurtzite-phase zinc oxide with single crystal quality. The growth process includes two steps: (1) growth of a micron-sized zinc oxide dot on the substrate and (2) growth of a sharp tip from the zinc oxide dot. The field emission of the nanopins shows a low field emission threshold (1.92 V/mum at a current density of 0.1 muA/cm(-2)) and high current density with a field enhancement factor of 657. The emission current density and the electric field follow Fowler-Nordheim relationship. The good performance for field emission is attributed to the single-crystalline structure and the nanopin geometry. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.