Print Email Facebook Twitter Influence of surface roughness on space charge limited emission Title Influence of surface roughness on space charge limited emission Author Nijkerk, M.D. Kruit, P. Publication year 2004 Abstract Computations of space charge limited currents from thermionic emitters often rely on simple one-dimensional analytical models. The geometric limitations of these models are circumvented by applying the models locally over the emitter surface. The validity of the analytical models is compromised by the presence of surface roughness that intrinsically violates one-dimensionality. In this paper we will calculate the self-consistent potential distribution and emission current of a bumpy surface. It will be shown that, although surface roughness influences the emission function in the temperature limit, a space charge barrier causes smoothening in the current density so that a rough emitter, operated in space charge limited mode has an emission function that is very similar to a perfect planar emission function, given bumps smaller than the dimension of the space charge barrier. Subject Electron gunsThermionic emissionAberrationsCathodesDiodesElectronsElectrostaticsEstimationStatistical methodsSurface roughnessThermal effectsCharge limited currentsEmission currentEmission functionElectric space charge To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2302699b-1a36-4d51-9cb6-28a683e976ef TNO identifier 237849 Publisher Elsevier, Amsterdam ISSN 0169-4332 Source Applied Surface Science, 233 (1-4), 172-179 Document type article Files To receive the publication files, please send an e-mail request to TNO Library.