SIMULATION STUDY ON PERFORMANCE OF FIELD EMITTER ARRAY

An improved finite difference method is used to study the field emitte r arrays in both diode and triode modes. In the simulation, the bounda ry of the emitter can be fitted with irregular meshes. The emission pe rformance of the emitter array is analyzed in this article. Simulation results show that the electric field at tips in the emitter array is not uniform. The emission currents from tips are also different. Due t o the influence of the interaction and fringe field, the emission curr ents from tips near the edge of the array are larger than that from ti ps on the center part of the array. However, the presence of the gate can reduce the interaction between neighboring tips in the triode stru cture. Thus, it is possible to achieve a higher current density in the triode mode. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society.