Macroscopic Behavior and Microscopic Factors of Electron Emission from Chained Nanocarbon Coatings

The carbyne-containing films based on linear-chain carbon are promising materials for the manufacture of electronic equipment components. These carbyne-containing materials can be used as active elements of computational electronics and as ultra-miniature sensors of gaseous environment. The temperature studies of the electrical characteristics of carbyne-containing films by most of the scientific groups are limited to the low temperature range in which the quantum properties of nanostructures are most pronounced. We studied carbyne-containing films with a thickness of 20 and 400 nm on copper and silicon substrates using optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) in the temperature range from room temperature (RT) to 400 °C. Theoretical modeling explains the dependence of work function on termination groups and substrate lattice. Experimental data revealed a relationship between the spectral characteristics of electron emission and temperature. The spectral contributions of both surface states and bulk interband transitions were clearly distinguishable. View Full-Tex