Field-emission properties of individual GaN nanowires grown by chemical vapor deposition

Single crystalline GaN nanowires were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition. Devices containing individual GaN nanowires were fabricated using contact printing. The local turn-on electric field at the tip of the GaN nanowires was compared to that of other nanomaterials. The quality of contact between GaN nanowires and metal electrodes was found to affect the field-emission behavior significantly. It was also observed that the field-emission behavior of individual GaN nanowires follows the conventional Fowler-Nordheim model in the range of applied electric fields.