Quantum transport simulations of electron field emission

The authors report on the comparison of various quantum transport calculations for metal-vacuum tunneling structures under high electric fields. Specifically, they compared the WKB approximation to the transmission coefficient (TC) for evaluating current-voltage relationships to the more accurate Airy function approach, and both of these approaches to the Wigner distribution function (WDF) approach to quantum transport. The purpose of this study is to examine electron transport through metal (or semiconductor)-vacuum interfaces and to assess the utility of various techniques for their incorporation into larger simulation packages, such as ensemble particle Monte Carlo. As the WDF has been used for the first time to study issues of interest to vacuum microelectronics, the authors assess its advantages and shortcomings.<>