Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
What do you mean by electron emission? Explain briefly various methods of electron emission.
Advertisements
उत्तर
Electron emission:
- Free electrons possess some kinetic energy and this energy is different for different electrons. The kinetic energy of the free electrons is not sufficient to overcome the surface barrier.
- Whenever additional energy is given to the free electrons, they will have sufficient energy to cross the surface barrier. And they escape from the metallic surface.
-
The liberation of electrons from any surface of a substance is called electron emission.
There are mainly four types of electron emission which are given below.
(i) Thermionic emission: When a metal is heated to a high temperature, the free electrons on the surface of the metal get sufficient energy in the form of thermal energy so that they are emitted from the metallic surface. This type of emission is known as thermionic emission.

Electrons in the (a) metal (b) heated metal
The intensity of the thermionic emission (the number of electrons emitted) depends on the metal used and its temperature.

Thermionic emission from hot filament of cathode ray tube or x-ray tube
Examples: cathode ray tubes, electron microscopes, X-ray tubes, etc.
(ii) Field emission: Electric field emission occurs when a very strong electric field is applied across the metal. This strong field pulls the free electrons and helps them to overcome the surface barrier of the metal.

Field emission
Examples: Field emission scanning electron microscopes, Field-emission display, etc.
(iii) Photo electric emission: When electromagnetic radiation of suitable frequency is incident on the surface of the metal, the energy is transferred from the radiation to the free electrons. Hence, the free electrons get sufficient energy to cross the surface barrier and the photo electric emission takes place. The number of electrons emitted depends on the intensity of the incident radiation.

Photo electric emission
Examples: Photo diodes, photo electric cells, etc.
(iv) Secondary emission: When a beam of fast-moving electrons strikes the surface of the metal, the kinetic energy of the striking electrons is transferred to the free electrons on the metal surface. Thus the free electrons get sufficient kinetic energy so that the secondary emission of, electron occurs.

Secondary emission of electrons
Examples: Image intensifies, photo multiplier tubes, etc.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Quarks inside protons and neutrons are thought to carry fractional charges [(+2/3)e; (–1/3)e]. Why do they not show up in Millikan’s oil-drop experiment?
How will the thermionic current vary if the filament current is increased?
Would you prefer a material with a high melting point or a low melting point to be used as a cathode in a diode?
A diode value is connected to a battery and a load resistance. The filament is heated, so that a constant current is obtained in the circuit. As the cathode continuously emits electrons, does it become more and more positively charged?
The cathode of a diode valve is replaced by another cathode of double the surface area. Keeping the voltage and temperature conditions the same, will the place current decrease, increase or remain the same?
The constant A in the Richardson−Dushman equation for tungsten is 60 × 104 A m−2K−2. The work function of tungsten is 4.5 eV. A tungsten cathode with a surface area 2.0 × 10−5 m2 is heated by a 24 W electric heater. In steady state, the heat radiated by the heater and the cathode equals the energy input by the heater and the temperature becomes constant. Assuming that the cathode radiates like a blackbody, calculate the saturation current due to thermions. Take Stefan's Constant = 6 × 10−8 W m−2 K−1. Assume that the thermions take only a small fraction of the heat supplied.
If a light of wavelength 330 nm is incident on a metal with work function 3.55 eV, the electrons are emitted. Then the wavelength of the wave associated with the emitted electron is (Take h = 6.6 × 10–34 Js)
Define the work function of a metal. Give its unit.
Consider Figure for photoemission.

How would you reconcile with momentum conservation? Note light (photons) have momentum in a different direction than the emitted electrons.
The work function of a metal is 2.31 eV. Photoelectric emission occurs when the light of frequency 6.4 × 1014 Hz is incident on the metal surface. Calculate
- the energy of the incident radiation,
- the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electron and
- the stopping potential of the surface.
