In field electron emission, computer modelling is a useful tool to obtain the following information: distribution of electrostatic field strength over the surface of the field emitter¹, temperature distribution inside the emitter body², trajectories of emitted electrons in certain diode and triode systems³ and evaluation of the space charge effect influence⁴. The finite element method represents the predominant computational approach for emitter simulations facilitating both theoretical advancement of field electron emission mechanisms and the substantial enhancement and optimization of emission device performance.
Nowadays, the issue of finding the most efficient emitter structure is still open. In order to determine such structure, present study reports findings from recent investigations concerning the accurate determination of emission characteristics of existing emission architectures, including the local field enhancement factor and notional emission area⁵. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the feasibility of optimizing the emission current density distribution across the surfaces of needle-type⁶, blade-type⁷, concentric ring, and cluster emitters⁸ through modification of apex geometry or structural height profiles. A comparative analysis is conducted, culminating in conclusions regarding the relative efficiency of the optimized emitter configurations.

field electron emission,electrostatic simulation,single tip,blade-type emitterarray of tips,array of tips