Experimental and theoretical investigations of field emission in carbon nanotubes and their multiscale integrated systems

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted a great deal of attention for use as field emission electron sources in recent years. This interest has been incited as a result of properties such as high mechanical stability, low turn-on fields, and high emission current density. Despite these advantages, realization of multiscale integrated systems incorporating CNTs has been difficult due to the lack of adequate models and suitable manufacturing techniques. The work in this dissertation presents viable solutions to both of these issues, thus advancing the science and engineering related to these devices toward the design and realization of practical systems.;Here, two distinct types of systems incorporating CNTs are investigated; one having individual CNTs and the other with CNT pillar arrays (CPAs). Details of experiments related to the fabrication and characterization of both system types are presented. Furthermore, high fidelity computer models are developed for individual CNTs as well as CPAs with a particular emphasis on their performance in micro and macro scale systems. The CNT models are used to elucidate the influence of ancillary structures on the field emission characteristics of individual emitters leading to the development of a fabrication technique capable of realizing gated individual CNTs. The CPA models enable investigations revealing the mechanisms responsible for the high performance observed for these structures during field emission. These models are used to develop an integration technique capable of preserving the electrical characteristics of the CPAs thus enabling the realization of gated CPAs.