Electron emission from a single spindt-type field emitter: Comparison of theory with experiment

A simple analytic model of the electron emission from a single tip field emitter is correlated with experimental measurements made on a single Spindt-type molybdenum field emitter using a nanofabricated anode whose position from the emitter was determined using laser interferometry. It is shown how the model may be extended to find the trajectories needed for particle simulations. Methods used to correlate theory with experiment are explained, and the dependence of the beam profile on tip sharpness, gate diameter, anode distance, and tip work function are examined. A simple analysis of the effects of space charge on field emission is presented and correlated with experimental data. Analysis has shown that the rms spread angle is approximately 20°.