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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Electrochemical Etching and Characterization of Sharp Field Emission Points for Electron Impact Ionization
Published on: July 12, 2016
Conduction mechanisms and voltage drop during field electron emission from diamond needles
Olivier Torresin1, Mario Borz2, Julien Mauchain1
1Laboratoire Collisions Agrégats Réactivité, Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, France.
Abstract:
We report results of experimental investigation of field electron emission from diamond nanoemitters. The measurements were performed with single crystal diamond needles fixed at tungsten tips. The voltage drop along diamond needles during emission was revealed and measured using electron energy spectroscopy. The observed linear dependence of the voltage drop in diamond on voltage applied to the tungsten tip is explained in the frame of a simple macroscopic electrical model combining Poole-Frenkel conduction along the diamond tip and Fowler-Nordheim tunneling at the diamond-vacuum junction. Experimental evidences of electron emission sensitivity to laser illumination are discussed for possible modification of diamond emitter characteristics and voltage drop.
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