Field emission from hydrogen-free DLC

We have studied the field emission characteristics of diamond-like-carbon (DLC) films deposited by a layer-by-layer technique using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, in which the deposition of a thin layer of DLC and a CH4 plasma exposure on its surface were carried out alternatively. The hydrogen-free DLC can be deposited by CH4 plasma exposure for 140 sec on a 5 nm DLC layer. N2 gas-phase doping in the CH4 plasma was also carried out to reduce the work function of the DLC. The optimum [N2]/[CH4] flow rate ratio was found to be 9% for the efficient electron emission, at which the onset-field was 7.2 V/$\mu\textrm{m}$. It was found that the hydrogen-free DLC has a stable electron emitting property.