NEGF Quantum Simulation of Field Emission Devices

Recent studies of wide band-gap diamond field emission devices have realized superior performance and lifetime. However, theoretical studies using standard Fowler-Nordheim (FN) theory do not fully capture the physics of diamond semiconductor emitters as a result of the fitting parameters inherent to the FN approximation. The following research computationally models wide band-gap field emission devices from a quantum point of view, using a novel non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) approach previously applied to modeling solid-state electronic devices. Findings from this research confirm non-linearities in the FN curve and provide alternative explanations to discrepancies between standard FN theory.