Electron field emission from carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) have recently emerged as a promising class of electron field emitters. They have a low threshold electric field for emission and a high emission current density which make them attractive for technological applications. In this article we review recent progress on understanding of CNT field emitters and discuss issues related to applications of CNT-based cold cathodes in vacuum microelectronic devices. The emphasis is on the emission characteristics of macroscopic CNT cathodes and their relations with the underlying materials properties