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Field Emission as a Probe of the Surface Density of States

Published

Author(s)

David R. Penn, E. W. Plummer

Abstract

Field-emission measurements of the total-energy distribution from a clean metal surface are shown to provide information about the density of states near the surface. Specifically, we find the field-emitted current per unit energy at energy ω to be given approximately by j(ω) (2hbar}/ m)Sλ-2 (ω)ΣmD0 2( Eperp}m) x |ψm(xm)|2δ (ω - εm), where D20 is the usual barrier-penetration probability with image potential corrections, Eperp}m= ω - hbar} 2k2||/2m, where k|| is the electron momentum parallel to the surface, |ψm(xm)| is the amplitude of the metal electron at the classical turning point (xm 1-2 Aring}), λ (ω) is a slowly varying function of ω, and S is the metal surface area. The D20 factor in j(ω) strongly weights electron states with small k|| and consequently j(ω) measures the density of states at xm arising from the component of the bulk band structure normal to the surface. Measurements of j(ω) for several single-crystal planes of tungsten will be presented and compared to the relevant photoemission data.
Citation
Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)
Volume
9
Issue
4

Citation

Penn, D. and Plummer, E. (1974), Field Emission as a Probe of the Surface Density of States, Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics) (Accessed October 7, 2024)

Issues

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Created February 14, 1974, Updated October 12, 2021