MULTI-POINTED FIELD-EMISSION CATHODE AS A GENERATOR OF HIGHFREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS

Abstract

Semiconductor field-emission cathodes have gained considerable popularity in modern radio electronics and electronic optics due to the high-power generation of the electron beam in the external electric field at temperatures close to the room ones. However, their wide application is restricted by the high dependence of the electron emission current on the value of the applied field and geometrical parameters of the cathode. This study aimed to examine the effect of resonance processes on amplifying the field emission of the multi-pointed semiconductor cathode. Modeling the behavior of resonant tunneling of electrons from semiconductors to vacuum was simulated by solving the one-dimensional Schrodinger’s equation, and the amplification due to resonant processes was estimated. The modeling results showed that as the electric field increases, the resonance conditions shift towards low energy levels. With the increase in the width of the barrier for the electron inside the solid body, the resonance conditions shift towards higher energies. It has been established that in onedimensional semiconductors with electrons of low conductivity width, the resonant energy coincides with the Fermi level. These cathode properties are optimal for amplifying the emission current and reducing failures of vacuum electronic devices based on semiconductive field cathodes. The proposed technique can be used to study the regularities of emission amplification due to resonant processes in multipoint semiconductor cathodes with multilayered structure and with metal tips.