Enhanced field emission investigation of aluminum

Author

Renner, Ch ; Niedermann, Ph. ; Fischer, O.

Author_Institution

Dept. de Phys. de la Matiere Condensee, Geneve Univ., Switzerland

Volume

24

Issue

6

fYear

1989

fDate

12/1/1989 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

911

Lastpage

916

Abstract

Enhanced field emission on high-purity aluminum has been investigated. The current/voltage characteristic (Fowler-Nordheim plot), the chemical composition as determined by Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray microprobe analysis, and the topography of field-emitting sites were studied locally. In addition, results on the evolution of these sites under heat treatment, Ar⁺ sputtering, and exposure to atmosphere are presented. The field-emitting sites on aluminum are all related to particles ~30 μm in size standing on the surface. The average emission over 1-cm² areas is little affected by the abovementioned surface treatments

Keywords

Auger effect; aluminium; electron field emission; surface treatment; Al; Auger electron spectroscopy; Fowler-Nordheim plot; X-ray microprobe analysis; chemical composition; current/voltage characteristic; enhanced electron field emission; field-emitting sites; heat treatment; sputtering; surface treatments; Aluminum; Argon; Chemical analysis; Electrons; Heat treatment; Spectroscopy; Sputtering; Surface topography; Surface treatment; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electrical Insulation, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9367

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/14.46310

Filename

46310