Ten Approaches to Define the Field Emission Area

The emission area is one of the main parameters of field emission systems. A variety of formal determination techniques for the emission area is studied. Using the model hemisphere-on-cylindrical-post constructed with the COMSOL Multiphysics software package, the relation between well-known estimates of the emission area is shown. The corresponding fractions of the emission currents are computed. It is demonstrated that the formal emission area (the ratio of the total current to the current density at the vertex) ensures approximately 75% of the emission current. The effect of abnormal behavior on the effective emission area is obtained (cutoff from the trend line of the current–voltage characteristics) for varying voltage level in standard Fowler–Nordheim coordinates. An experimental assessment of the area with application of modified Fowler–Nordheim coordinates ln(I/U2–η/6) vs 1/U is proposed. The method is applied for analysis of field emission data of the multipoint nanocomposite emitter with carbon nanotubes.