Field Effect Electron Emission

The emission of electrons from materials at ambient temperature due to the field effect is a subject of extensive study and experimentation. Although large current densities, greater than 100 Asq cm, have been realized from sharp points, few commercial applications have resulted because of the problems associated with fabricating multiple point sources. Recent developments in fabrication procedures have resulted in multiple point sources of sufficient size and uniformity to be applicable to electronic devices such as electron tubes which require a copious supply of electrons for operation. Current densities of near 100 mAsq cm have been realized from early sample indicating that these new multiple point sources emit electrons in sufficient numbers to replace thermionic emitters in several classes of electron tubes.