Bulb-shaped field emission lamps (FELs) with a helical cathode filament were simulated and fabricated in this research. The light bulbs comprised a helical stainless steel filament cathode grown with carbon nano-coils (CNCs) and an Al anode deposited on the bottom hemisphere of a 60-mm-diameter glass bulb. White light was generated when the field-emitted electrons bombarded a layer of three-color phosphor coated on the anode. A numerical simulation model for the helical-cathode FELs was constructed, and the field emission (FE) performance was carefully studied. Due to the screening effect, the electric field strength as well as the FE current density on the inner side of the helix dramatically decreased with decreasing helical pitch. Real FELs using cathodes with various helical radii and pitches were fabricated and their FE currents were measured. The theoretical and experimental results were in good agreement. A maximum total FE current was found at a pitch of 16 mm (helical radius = 2 mm), where the optimum trade-off between a large total surface area and a small screening effect was obtained. The optimized FEL showed a total luminous flux of about 220 lm at an applied voltage of 8 kV and a color rendering index of 94. Compared to a straight filament cathode, a helical cathode offered a higher total FE current or, alternatively, a lower current density and a longer cathode life, if we fix the total current by using a lower voltage.
Keywords: Field Emission Lamps; Carbon Nano-Coils; Cathodoluminescence; Screening Effect.