Numéro
J. Phys. Colloques
Volume 47, Numéro C7, Novembre 1986
33rd International Field Emission Symposium / 33ème Symposium International d'Emission de Champ
Page(s) C7-95 - C7-99
DOI https://doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1986717
33rd International Field Emission Symposium / 33ème Symposium International d'Emission de Champ

J. Phys. Colloques 47 (1986) C7-95-C7-99

DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1986717

A SPATIALLY RESOLVED ENERGY ANALYSIS OF FIELD-INDUCED HOT-ELECTRON EMISSION (FIHEE) FROM MIM MICROSTRUCTURES

N.S. XU et R.V. LATHAM

Department of Electronic Engineering and Applied Physics, Aston University, GB-Birmingham B4 7ET, Great-Britain


Abstract
A high resolution UHV electron spectrometer, incorporating a recently developed energy-selective mapping capability, has been used to analyse the emission images of localized sites on the surface of copper electrodes. The present paper outlines the operational principale of this new technique and reports on the spatially-resolved, electron energy spectral data recently obtained with it. These findings are shown to broadly confirm the existence of a field-induced hot-electron emission mechanism FIHEE that originates at MIM (metal-insulator-metal) surface microstructures and is responsible for the prebreakdown currents that flow between vacuum-insulated high-voltage electrodes in the field range 6-30MV/m.