Electron-temperature concept at very high electric fields: A Monte Carlo study

Several aspects of the electron-temperature (${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{e}}$) concept are investigated by three versions of the silicon Monte Carlo computer code of K. Hess et al. Three common ways to determine ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{e}}$, based on average energies, on electron emission efficiencies, and on radiative emission spectra, yield different ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{e}}$ values, even if calculated from the same Monte Carlo simulation. Electron and radiative emission plots are not direct images of the electron energy distribution in the same energy range. Average electron energy values depend strongly on the (version of) the employed Monte Carlo computer code. A comparison is made with electron and radiative emission experiments.