Using field emission to control the electron energy distribution in high-pressure microdischarges at microscale dimensions

摘要

Particle simulations of high-pressure microdischarges at gaps below 10μm show that the electron energy distribution becomes non-continuous, with discrete peaks corresponding to specific inelastic collisions. The relative magnitude of these peaks and shape of the energy distribution can be directly controlled by the parameter pressure times distance (pd) and the applied potential across the gap. These parameters dictate inelastic collisions experienced by electrons and as both increase the distribution smooths into a Maxwellian-like distribution. By capitalizing on field emission at these dimensions, it is possible to control the energy distribution of free electrons to target specific, energy dependent reactions.