Field, Thermionic and Secondary Electron Emission Spectroscopy

TL;DR: In this article, a model of field electron emission from the metal cathode with a thin insulating film under the strong electric field, generated in the film by ions bombarding its surface in gas discharge, is developed.

Abstract: This article takes a fresh look at the theoretical basis of methods for deriving emission area from the intercept of a Fowler–Nordheim (FN) plot. It sharpens the concepts involved, by defining a generalized FN equation, an intercept correction factor, and an emission-area extraction function. Some new general formulas are introduced. An improved version of the Charbonnier and Martin (CM) [F. M. Charbonnier and E. E. Martin, J. Appl. Phys. 33, 1897 (1962)] method for extracting emission area is discussed; this is numerically illustrated using formulas developed within the framework of Murphy and Good’s 1956 [E. L. Murphy and R. H. Good, Phys. Rev. 102, 1464 (1956)] treatment of the theory of cold field emission from metals at zero temperature. It is shown that uncertainties were underestimated in the methods introduced by CM and by Spindt and colleagues, [C. A. Spindt et al., J. Appl. Phys. 47, 5248 (1976)] but can be reduced by iterating the new method. Strictly, the numerical results presented apply only...

TL;DR: The bulk replacement current density triggered by surface charge loss owing to thermionic emission leads to a volumetric Lorentz force which has been observed to drive macroscopic melt layer motion as mentioned in this paper.

TL;DR: In this article, a non-JWKB-based theory of electron field emission for carbon field emitters was proposed, in which, for electrons with energy in the vicinity of the order of v to the Fermi level, the effective (1/x) surface potential is strongly enhanced.