Field Emission Studies of Au doped ZnO Nanowire Arrays

ZnO nanowire arrays have been synthesized by annealing of zinc foil coated with a thin layer of gold. The XRD pattern exhibited a set of well-defined diffraction peaks corresponding to the ZnO wurtzite phase. The SEM image revealed formation of ZnO nanowires having lengths up to several microns. XPS studies confirmed the oxidation state of Au and Zn. Field emission studies were carried out in a planar diode configuration at base pressure ~ 1x10-8 mbar. The turn-on field value، required to draw emission current density of 0. 1 mA/cm2، was found to be ~ 2. 4 V/mm. The Folwer-Nordheim (F-N) plot showed linear behavior in the entire range of applied field indicating semiconducting nature of the emitter.