Field-emission characteristics of conical boron nitride nanorods

We present the electron field-emission (FE) characteristics of conical boron nitride nanorods grown on a (1 0 0) n-type silicon substrate. The emission current can be up to ~60 µA at an applied voltage of ~3 kV. Two distinct slopes are evident in the Fowler–Nordheim (FN) plot. The FE characteristics can be explained using a site-related tunnelling-controlled mechanism. The occurrence of two FN slopes is attributed to the switchover from tip emission to side emission, which results from the differences in interface barrier, geometry, as well as the total emission area of the two emission interfaces.<br />