A planar diamond-like carbon nanostructure for a low-voltage field emission cathode with a developed surface

Issues pertaining to the effective solution of problems related to the creation of durable low-voltage field emission cathodes with developed working surface and high density of emission current are considered. Results of practical implementation of the concept of multielectrode field emission planar nanostructures based on diamond-like carbon are presented. High average current density (0.1–0.3 A cm–2) is ensured by the formation of a controlled zone of electrostatic field localization at the planar-edge structure. The working life of cathode samples reaches 700–3000 h due to several positive factors, such as the stabilizing properties of a diamond-like carbon film, protection of the emitter from ion bombardment, use of a system of ballast resistors, and low-voltage operation of submicron interelectrode gaps.