Dresden 2009 – scientific programme

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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik

MM 38: Nanostructured Materials II

MM 38.6: Talk

Thursday, March 26, 2009, 11:30–11:45, IFW B

Optimization of PECVD growth of individual vertical carbon nanotubes for field emission applications — •Ronny Löffler, Michael Häffner, Helmut Weigand, Monika Fleischer, and Dieter P. Kern — Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are interesting for many new applications due to their excellent electrical and mechanical properties, e.g. in the form of vertical CNTs used as field emitters. A promising way to produce uniform vertically aligned CNTs is the growth by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). This process is mainly affected by catalyst material and size, gas mixture and flow, deposition temperature, applied power and growth time. The effect of these parameters on the growth of CNT forests has already been reported by others. We present a variation of parameters focused on the growth of individual CNTs, which react much more sensitively to changes in the deposition process. By systematic variation, optimal growth parameters have been identified for the PECVD growth of individual vertical CNTs to be used as field emitters. The growth process has been integrated into the lithographical fabrication of an electrically controlled test structure for I-V-measurements in a UHV chamber.