  The paper reports on top-down nanofabricated Ni3Si2 nanowires and tests of
their electron field emission capabilities. The results include low turn on
electric field, moderate work function, and the field enhancement factor,
customizable through nanofabrication. The paper also reports on the issues
ahead in the field of nanowires-based electron mission, as there are
quantitative limitations of the applicability of the Fowler-Nordheim model,
which will become increasingly apparent as we continue to optimize field
emission of electrons. To this end, we suggest adding the studies of
surface-to-volume ratio effects of the nanowires as another standard for
comparison, in order to lead to the input form of the density of states as
quantum effects becoming more prominent.
