Growth and integration of aligned carbon nanotube-based field emission cathode for electron gun device-level fabrication

•Fabrication of pure-CNT and doped-CNT thin film by DST process.•Facile strategy for controlling degree of atomistic-defects in CNT.•Doped-CNT exhibited lower turn-on field in field emission.•N-doping causes lower thermal transport (111 to 5.1 W/m.k).•Designing electron gun with emission current density of 81.3 mA/cm2.