Energy coupling in a diode with a dielectric-gridded cathode

It is shown experimentally that electrostatic coupling between the ferroele ctric "capacitor" and the anode-cathode gap controls the emission process i n ferroelectric cathode. Three main quantities were demonstrated to be dire ctly correlated to the energy stored in the ferroelectric: the energy in th e diode, the diode impedance, and the delay of the peak (anode) current rel ative to the triggering time of the ferroelectric. The polarity of the trig gering voltage does not seem to have a significant impact on the performanc e of the diode. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021- 8979(00)073 18-7].