32 nd International Field Emission Symposium / 32ème Symposium International d'Emission de Champ
J. Phys. Colloques 47 (1986) C2-67-C2-78
DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1986210
I. FIELD-INDUCED HOT-ELECTRON EMISSION (FIHEE) FROM MIM MICROSTRUCTURES
N.S. XU et R.V. LATHAMDepartment of Mathematics and Physics, University of Aston, Gosta Green, GB-Birmingham B4 7ET, Great Britain
Abstract
The field-induced prebreakdown currents that flow between vacuum-insulated high voltage electrodes in the field range 10-30 MV.m-1 result from a "non-metallic" electron emission mechanism which is localised at micron-sized anomalous surface inclusions. The present paper reports on recent experimental evidence, including emission image and spacially-resolved energy analysis data, which suggests that the emission is derived from a field-induced hot-electron mechanism (FIHEE) associated with metal-insulator-metal (MIM) microstructures.