Relationships among the physical parameters required to give a linear relation between slope and intercept of Fowler-Nordheim plots

For field emitters with a given surface condition, but different apex radii, there exists an empirical linear relationship between the slopes and intercepts of their Fowler-Nordheim plots. This behavior is quite different from that predicted by the theory with the assumption of a smooth surface, We have already characterized the possible reasons for this discrepancy; one possibility is that the emission area rapidly increases with increase in the apex radius, The previous report (Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Part II 32 (1993) L342), however, showed a curved relation between the slope and the intercept of Fowler-Nordheim plots. In the present article, we try to extract the relationship between the emission area and the apex radius needed in order to give a linear relationship between slope and intercept of the F-N plots. As an additional result of the present analysis, the change in work function of the field emitting surface is demonstrated. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.