Effect of space charge on the vacuum electron emission from a microtip

Abstract

A model which determines the electron emission from the surface of a microtip has been developed. It solves the multiphysics problem combining the heat transport and the current conservation inside the tip, which is coupled with a Monte Carlo model established to evaluate the electron space charge in front of the tip and to deduce the electric field at the surface of the tip. This modeling approach is very robust and versatile and it can be applied for several regimes lying from DC operation to nanosecond pulses.