Field-Emission Vacuum Nanoelectronics: A Bird’s Eye View of Theory and Practical Applications explores the field in both theoretical and practical perspectives. Field-emission devices have moved from specialized applications to become potential candidates for a future beyond-CMOS circuits, offering superior performance at extreme temperatures, in harsh environments, and at high frequencies, due to their reliance on ballistic transport in vacuum-like or nanogap air-filled environments rather than solid-state lattice transport.

Beginning with the mechanisms of electron emission from materials and highlighting the role of nanotechnology in field emission, the Fowler-Nordheim theory of field emission is extensively treated. Enhancements of the Fowler-Nordheim theory and its various alternatives are addressed, with emphasis on the Schottky-Nordheim transmission barrier, the Murphy-Good theory, and efforts made to rephrase and reformulate the standard Fowler-Nordheim theory. On the practical side, the key components of field-emission devices, namely, cold cathodes, arrays, and electron guns, are described. Applications covered include field-emission displays and lamps, diodes and transistors, microwave power tubes (magnetrons, gyrotrons, klystrons, and TWTs), information storage devices, sensors, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, scanning probe lithography, X-ray tubes, electric propulsion thrusters, and charge neutralizers. The book concludes with a discussion of research challenges and the future outlook for field-emission nanoelectronics. The book will be immensely useful to graduate and research students, engineers, and scientists.

Key features:

Provides a simplified, and up-to-date treatment of the theory and technological applications of field-emission in nanoelectronics

Showcases each field emission application by unveiling its operation, unique benefits, fabrication process, key milestones, and emerging research directions

Brings the underlying mathematical concepts to life with abundant, easy-to-follow examples