NONLINEAR-REGRESSION TECHNIQUE FOR PARAMETER EXTRACTION FROM FIELD-EMISSION DATA

The standard method for obtaining field emission parameter estimates from current-voltage data is to transform the Fowler-Nordheim equation [L. W. Nordheim, Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A 119, 626 (1928)] with approximate elliptical functions such that a linear regression technique can be used to obtain the emission area and enhancement factor estimates for a given work function. We present here a method for obtaining the parameter estimates that avoids bias caused by the functional approximations and the data transformation required for the previous method. The parameter bias due to several nonideal measurement situations is also considered. Finally, the method is applied to experimental data.