Geometric influence on field emission characteristics of zirconium carbide nanoneedles

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Abstract 〈100〉 oriented single-crystalline ZrC nanoneedles were successfully fabricated using a dual-beam FIB-SEM system. Atomic characterization of the pristine ZrC crystal confirmed the consistency and uniformity of nanoneedles’ crystallographic orientation, ensuring tip stability and precision. Nanoneedles with 10–100 nm tip radii were evaluated as field emitters, yielding field enhancement factors of 1.78 × 107–4.85 × 106 m−1 and tip emission areas of 0.93–97.3 nm2. This work underscores the importance of geometric optimization in improving field emission performance and demonstrates a scalable and efficient method for developing high-performance electron sources for advanced electron-beam applications.