A General Solution of Electron Velocity in the Steady-State Pre-Breakdown Region

Abstract

An equation of the electron velocity in the pre-breakdown current range was given and its general solution was presented. According to these results, the electron velocity is found generally to depend on the distance from the cathode, even if an applied electric field is uniform. Also characteristics of the velocity versus the distance widely vary with the initial velocity at the cathode and the various space parameters such as frequencies of ionizaing collision and of momentum transfer collision and the electron sound speed.