Computational Design of Microfabricated Thermionic Converters

Thermionic generators are a promising alternative to traditional mechanical generators for heat-to-electricity conversion. Here we discuss the use of computational studies for the design and analysis of high efficiency and high power density microfabricated thermionic converters. Our calculations use kinetic particle-in-cell electron dynamics simulations to capture non-equilibrium thermodynamic properties. We demonstrate quantitative agreement between predicted and experimentally measured properties of the thermionic devices, and discuss how simulations can be used to study device performance. This approach is widely applicable to vacuum electronic devices that incorporate charged particle optics.