Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are formed on a surface of a substrate using a plasma chemical deposition process. The nanotubes are grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using a source gas and a plasma and are then purified by plasma etching using a purification gas. These growth and purification steps are repeated without evacuating the chamber and without turning off the plasma. After the nanotubes are grown, a post-treatment step is performed on the nanotubes by etching using the plasma. During the transition from the nanotube growth step to the post treatment step, the pressure in the plasma process chamber is stabilized without turning off the plasma. The entire process or a portion thereof may be iterated to achieve a carbon nanotube layer having highly uniform physical characteristics. Additionally, the etching in the post-treatment step may be reduced each iteration.

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are formed on a surface of a substrate using a plasma chemical deposition process. After the nanotubes have been grown, a purification step is performed on the newly formed nanotube structures. The purification removes graphite and other carbon particles from the walls of the grown nanotubes and controls the thickness of the nanotube layer. The purification is performed with the plasma at the same substrate temperature. For the purification, the hydrogen containing gas added as an additive to the source gas for the plasma chemical deposition is used as the plasma source gas. Because the source gas for the purification plasma is added as an additive to the source gas for the chemical plasma deposition, the grown carbon nanotubes are purified by reacting with the continuous plasma which is sustained in the plasma process chamber. This eliminates the need to purge and evacuate the plasma process chamber as well as to stabilize the pressure with the purification plasma source gas.

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are formed on a surface of a substrate using a plasma chemical deposition process. After the nanotubes have been grown, a post-treatment step is performed on the newly formed nanotube structures. The post-treatment removes graphite and other carbon particles from the walls of the grown nanotubes and controls the thickness of the nanotube layer. The post-treatment is performed with the plasma at the same substrate temperature. For the post-treatment, the hydrogen containing gas is used as a plasma source gas. During the transition from the nanotube growth step to the post-treatment step, the pressure in the plasma process chamber is stabilized with the aforementioned purifying gas without shutting off the plasma in the chamber. This eliminates the need to purge and evacuate the plasma process chamber.

Abstract: An electron-emitting device, for example as used in a field emissive display device, includes a barrier layer between an emitter electrode structure and a catalyst layer, upon which microstructures of carbon nanotubes are formed. The barrier layer may act as an anti diffusion layer between the catalyst layer and, for example, a resistive layer of the emitter electrode structure. In this way, the catalyst layer may be prevented from diffusing into the resistive layer during the growing of the carbon nanotubes or other electron-emissive elements. The barrier layer may also enhance the adhesion characteristics of the catalyst layer to improve the uniformity of growth of the electron-emissive elements with the catalyst layer.

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are formed on a surface of a substrate using a plasma chemical deposition process. After the nanotubes have been grown, a post-treatment step is performed on the newly formed nanotube structures. The post-treatment removes graphite and other carbon particles from the walls of the grown nanotubes and controls the thickness of the nanotube layer. The post-treatment is performed with the plasma at the same substrate temperature. For the post-treatment, the hydrogen containing gas is used as a plasma source gas. During the transition from the nanotube growth step to the post-treatment step, the pressure in the plasma process chamber is stabilized with the aforementioned purifying gas without shutting off the plasma in the chamber. This eliminates the need to purge and evacuate the plasma process chamber.

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes are formed on a surface of a substrate using a plasma chemical deposition process. After the nanotubes have been grown, a purification step is performed on the newly formed nanotube structures. The purification removes graphite and other carbon particles from the walls of the grown nanotubes and controls the thickness of the nanotube layer. The purification is performed with the plasma at the same substrate temperature. For the purification, the hydrogen containing gas added as an additive to the source gas for the plasma chemical deposition is used as the plasma source gas. Because the source gas for the purification plasma is added as an additive to the source gas for the chemical plasma deposition, the grown carbon nanotubes are purified by reacting with the continuous plasma which is sustained in the plasma process chamber. This eliminates the need to purge and evacuate the plasma process chamber as well as to stabilize the pressure with the purification plasma source gas.