Thermionic Emission and Space-Charge Theory.
Abstract
The work presented in this report extends the space-charge theory of parallel-plane diodes in several ways. Space-charge effects are included in the accelerating field range to remove the incompatibility between Langmuir theory and Schottky theory. A method is developed to use a measurement of the current density at the exponential point to calculate the zero field current density of the cathode. This is done without the necessity of matching data to a family of curves. A number of properties of Langmuir space-charge theory is described in much greater detail than has previously been done through the use of functional notation to express the current density as a function of the applied voltage. Some of these details are brought out in a discussion of the fields and charge in the interelectrode space. As a side light, a method is developed to handle the edge effects in a class of parallel-plane diode testers. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA102861
Entities
People
- Jess B. Scott
Organizations
- Wright Laboratory