Abstract
A theory of the space charge limited output current regime of a vacuum thermionic energy conversion device (TEC) employing a negative electron affinity (NEA) diamond emitter electrode is derived. The theory is developed by assuming that the electrons behave as a collisionless gas and self-consistently solving Vlaslov's equation and Poisson's equation. Special cases of the theory are addressed. Calculations are performed to model a TEC with a nitrogen doped diamond emitter material under various conditions. It is shown that the NEA material outperforms a similar positive electron affinity material in terms of output power and efficiency because the NEA lowers the electrostatic boundary condition at the emitter and therefore mitigates the negative space charge effect.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1132-1141 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B:Nanotechnology and Microelectronics |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2009 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Instrumentation
- Process Chemistry and Technology
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Materials Chemistry