ZnO nanowire lines and bundles: Template-deformation-guided alignment for patterned field-electron emitters

• Novel ZnO NW line and bundle arrays were prepared for patterned field-electron emitters.
• The effects of PS template size and heating time on the ZnO NW were systematically studied.
• The deformation degree of PS templates was utilized to adjust the alignment of ZnO arrays.
• The optimal TE performance with turn-on electric field as low as of 4.4 V μm−1 and the β as high as 1450.

One-dimensional ZnO materials have been promising for field-emission (FE) application, but how to facially control the alignment of ZnO emitters is still a great challenge especially for patterned display application. Here, we report the fabrication of novel ZnO nanowire (NW) line and bundle arrays for patterned field-electron emitters. The effects of PS template size and heating time on the resulted ZnO nanoarrays were systematically studied. The deformation degree of PS templates was controlled and hence utilized to adjust the alignment of electrochemically deposited ZnO arrays. It was found that the length of NW lines and the density of NW bundles can effectively tuned by the PS template heating time. The optimal FE performance with turn-on electric field as low as of 4.4 V μm−1 and the field-enhancement factor as high as of 1450 were achieved through decreasing the screening effect among the patterned field-electron emitters.

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