The attributes of electron field emission from disordered matrix arrays of carbon nanotubes are studied and found to be quite reproducible in spite of the disorder, density, and quality variations from sample to sample. At low applied electric fields, the electron field emission current-voltage characteristics qualitatively follow conventional Fowler-Nordheim behavior up to a critical current density. However, the current rise at low applied fields is anomalously steep, suggesting that the Fowler-Nordheim model is not sufficient to quantitatively characterize the emission. In the high-field region, the emission characteristics have a more complex behavior. In that regime, the instantaneous field emission is reminiscent of the low-field behavior, but discrete switching events lead to an overall current suppression. We attribute the sudden and well-defined onset of the switching events to interactions between neighboring nanotube tips. By correlating the switching behavior to the current-voltage characteristics, we rule out other physical processes that cause similar effects.

• Received 28 October 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.55.9391