Unveiling the Nottingham Inversion Instability during the thermo-field emission from refractory metal micro-protrusions.

ABSTRACT: The electron emission by micro-protrusions has been studied for over a century, but the complete explanation of the unstable behaviors and their origin remains an open issue. These systems often evolve towards vacuum breakdown, which makes experimental studies of instabilities very difficult. Modeling studies are therefore necessary. In our model, refractory metals have shown the most striking results for discontinuities or jumps recorded on the electron emitted current under high applied voltages. Herein, we provide evidence on the mechanisms responsible for the initiation of a thermal instability during the field emission from refractory metal micro-protrusions. A jump in the emission current at steady state is found beyond a threshold electric field, and it is correlated to a similar ju

SUBMITTER: Mofakhami D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313719 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature