Electron emission in intense electric fields
Electron emission in intense electric fields
复制标题
DOI：
10.1098/rspa.1928.0091
复制
发表时间：
1928-05-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Nordheim, L
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fowler, RH;Nordheim, L
1.介绍。用强电场从冷金属中提取电子这一现象的主要特征是众所周知的，肖特基首先提出了这一效应的近似理论。最近，实验数据得到了很大的改进，尤其是密立根和埃林，密立根和劳里特森。理查森（O. W. Richardson）和休士顿（Houston）与索默菲尔德（Sommerfeld）一起重新考虑了这一理论。然而，在我们看来，在理论阐述及其与实验的相关性方面仍有改进的余地。理查森和休士顿都没有像现在新力学中那样，用索默菲尔德复兴的金属电子理论那样，用简单直接的方法来处理这个理论。同样，虽然密立根和劳里特森似乎已经相当明确地建立了发射与场强F的依赖规律，但他们以一种难以证明的方式谈论他们的结果的含义，并且在某些情况下可能被证明是绝对误导的。密立根和劳里特森指出，只要实验条件足够稳定，log I（其中I是电流）对1/F的曲线就会得到一条很好的直线。在常温下，这些电流与温度完全无关。这些电流的公式为I = Ce─a/F,(1)，当然，与I = CF2e─a/F无法区分。(2)密立根和他的同事们还证明，当普通热离子发射开始的较高温度接近时，强场发射确实对温度变得敏感，并最终融入热离子。
1.Introduction.—The main features of the phenomenon of the extraction of electrons from cold metals by intense electric fields are well known, and an approximate theory of the effect was first developed by Schottky. More recently the experimental data have been much improved, notably by Millikan and Eyring, and Millikan and Lauritsen. The theory has been considered afresh by O. W. Richardson and by Houston working with Sommerfeld. It seems to us, however, that there is still room for improvement in the theoretical exposition and its correlation with the experiments. Neither O. W. Richardson nor Houston really treat the theory in the simple straightforward way which is now possible in the new mechanics, using the revived electron theory of metals which we owe to Sommerfeld. Again, while Millikan and Lauritsen seem to have established quite definitely the laws of dependence of the emission on the field strength F, they speak of the implications of their result in a way which is hard to justify and might in certain circumstances prove to be definitely misleading. Millikan and Lauritsen show that a plot of log I, where I is the current, against 1/F yields a good straight line whenever the experimental conditions are sufficiently stable. At ordinary temperatures these currents are completely independent of the temperature. The formula for these current is I = Ce─a/F, (1) Which is, of course, indistinguishable from I = CF2e─a/F. (2) Millikan and his associates have also shown that as the higher temperatures, at which ordinary thermionic emission begins, are approached, the strong field emission does become sensitive to temperature and finally blends into the thermionic.