A finite-size uniform random distribution of vertically aligned field emitters on a planar surface is studied under the assumption that the asymptotic field is uniform and parallel to the emitter axis. A formula for field enhancement factor is first derived for a 2-emitter system and this is then generalized for N -emitters placed arbitrarily (line, array or random). It is found that geometric effects dominate the shielding of field lines. The distribution of field enhancement factor for a uniform random distribution of emitter locations is found to be closely approximated by an extreme value (Gumbel-minimum) distribution when the mean separation is greater than the emitter height but is better approximated by a Gaussian for mean separations close to the emitter height. It is shown that these distributions can be used to accurately predict the current emitted from a large area field emitter.
A recent analytical model for large area field emitters, based on the line charge model (LCM), provides a simple approximate formula for the field enhancement on hemiellipsoidal emitter tips in terms of the ratio of emitter height and pairwise distance between neighbouring emitters. The formula, verified against the exact solution of the linear LCM, was found to be adequate provided the mean separation between emitters is larger than half the emitter height. In this paper, we subject the analytical predictions to a more stringent test by simulating (i) an infinite regular array and (ii) an isolated cluster of 10 random emitters, using the finite element software COMSOL. In case of the array, the error in apex field enhancement factor (AFEF) is found to be less than 0.25% for an infinite array when the lattice constant c ≥ 1.5h, increasing to 2.9% for c = h and 8.1% for c = 0.75h. For an isolated random cluster of 10 emitters, the error in large AFEF values is found to be small. Thus, the error in net emitted current is small for a random cluster compared to a regular infinite array with the same (mean) spacing. The line charge model thus provides a reasonable analytical tool for optimizing a large area field emitter. arXiv:1909.06046v1 [physics.app-ph]
Field emisison of electrons crucially depends on the enhancement of the local electric field around nanotips. The enhancement is maximum when individual emitter-tips are well separated. As the distance between two or more nanotips decreases, the field enhancement at individual tips reduces due to the shielding effect. The anode-proximity effect acts in quite the opposite way, increasing the local field as the anode is brought closer to the emitter. For isolated emitters, this effect is pronounced when the anode is at a distance less than three times the height of the emitter. It is shown here that for a LAFE, the anode proximity effect increases dramatically and can counterbalance shielding effects to a large extent. Also, it is significant even when the anode is far away. The apex field enhancement factor for a LAFE in the presence of an anode is derived using the line charge model. It is found to explain the observations well and can accurately predict the apex enhancement factors. The results are supported by numerical studies using COMSOL Multiphysics.
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