A new component of carbon nanotube (CNT) paste is explored with an attempt to develop a carbon nanotube field emitter backlight unit (CNT-FE BLU) fabricated by the screen-printing method. To reduce the residual organic binder materials on the surface of single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT), the P(MMA-co-BMA) random copolymer is developed as a new binder material. The weight of the residue after burning process at 350 degrees C was measured by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The percentage of residue was 0.015% of the initial weight, which is only a quarter of the residual percentage of commercial binder material. The measured field emission property demonstrated that the developed P(MMA-co-BMA) was effective in reducing the residue on the surface of the CNT, which is critically important for improving the field emission property of CNT-FE BLU fabricated by the screen-printing method. (c) 2005 American Vacuum Society.