Influence of the composition of NbNx thin film field emitter array on the emission characteristics

Transition metal nitride has a potential for stable emission because of its chemical inertness, low work function and high melting point. We fabricated the NbN/sub x/ thin film field emitter arrays at relatively low temperature (500/spl deg/C) by ion beam assisted deposition technique. This technique can control the nitrogen composition of the film by selecting the deposition parameters. In this work, the relationship between the nitrogen composition of the NbN/sub x/ and emission characteristics was investigated.