Theory of Field Electron Emission from Nanotextured Cathode

Abstract

The paper proposes a quantitative description of the emission properties of fibrous conductive materials (graphite with carbon nanotubes) under the intense electric field. These materials are used as cold cathodes in electronic devices; they have a significant effect on the electrical strength of vacuum and gas-filled gaps. The emission current density is theoretically evaluated for cathodes made of carbon nanofiber and those with stochastic parameters of the surface texture. It is shown that the stochastic nanotexture provides the enhanced current emission as compared to that yielded from the theory of the Fowler–Nordheim tunneling process at the similar conditions of the localized enhancement of the external electric field.