Fabrication process for hermetically sealed chamber in subst rate

    公开(公告)号:AU5961796A

    公开(公告)日:1996-12-18

    申请号:AU5961796

    申请日:1996-05-31

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: A field emission device (10) is made with a lateral emitter (100) substantially parallel to a substrate (20) and with a simplified anode stucture (70). The lateral-emitter field-emission device has a thin-film emitter cathode (100) which has a thickness not exceeding several hundred angstroms and has an emitting blade edge or tip (110) having a small radius of curvature. The anode's top surface is precisely spaced apart from and below the plane of the lateral emitter and receives electrons emitted by field emission from the blade edge or tip of the lateral-emitter cathode, when a suitable bias voltage is applied. A fabrication process is disclosed using process steps (S1-S18) similar to those of semiconductor integrated circuit fabrication to produce the novel devices and their arrays. Various embodiments of the fabrication process allow the use of conductive or insulating substrates (20) and allow fabrication of devices having various functions and complexity. The anode (70) is simply fabricated, without the use of prior-art processes which formed a spacer made by a conformal coating. In a preferred fabrication process for the simplified anode device, the following steps are performed: an anode film (70) is deposited; an insulator film (90) is deposited over the anode film; an ultra-thin conductive emitter film (100) is deposited over the insulator and patterned; a trench opening (160) is etched through the emitter and insulator, stopping at the anode film, thus forming and automatically aligning an emitting edge of the emitter; and means are provided for applying an electrical bias to the emitter and anode, sufficient to cause field emission of electrons from the emitting edge of the emitter to the anode. The anode film may comprise a phosphor (75) for a device specially adapted for use in a field emission display. The fabrication process may also include steps to deposit additional insulator films (130) and to deposit additional conductive films for control electrodes (140), which are automatically aligned with the emitter blade edge or tip (110).

    Field emission display cell structure and fabrication proces s

    公开(公告)号:AU5727496A

    公开(公告)日:1996-11-29

    申请号:AU5727496

    申请日:1996-05-06

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: A lateral-emitter field-emission device includes a thin-film emitter cathode (50) of thickness less than several hundred angstrom and has an edge or tip (110) with small radius of curvature. In the display cell structure, a cathodoluminescent phosphor anode (60), allowing a large portion of the phosphor anode's top surface to emit light in a desired direction. An anode contact layer contacts the phosphor anode (60) from below to form a buried anode contact (90) which does not interfere with light emission. The anode phosphor is precisely spaced apart form the cathode edge or tip and receives electrons emitted by the field emission from the edge or tip of the lateral-emitter cathode, when a small bias voltage is applied. The device may be configured as diode, triode, or tetrode, etc. having one or more control electrodes (140) and/or (170) positioned to allow control of current from the emitter to the phosphor anode by an electrical signal applied to the control electrode.

    FIELD EMISSION DISPLAY CELL STRUCTURE AND FABRICATION PROCESS

    公开(公告)号:CA2219254A1

    公开(公告)日:1996-11-14

    申请号:CA2219254

    申请日:1996-05-06

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: A lateral-emitter field-emission device includes a thin-film emitter cathode (50) of thickness less than several hundred angstrom and has an edge or tip (110) with small radius of curvature. In the display cell structure, a cathodoluminescent phosphor anode (60), allowing a large portion of the phosphor anode's top surface to emit light in a desired direction. An anode contact layer contacts the phosphor anode (60) from below to form a buried anode contact (90) which does not interfere with light emission. The anode phosphor is precisely spaced apart form the cathode edge or tip and receives electrons emitted by the field emission from the edge or tip of the lateralemitter cathode, when a small bias voltage is applied. The device may be configured as diode, triode, or tetrode, etc. having one or more control electrodes (140) and/or (170) positioned to allow control of current from the emitter to the phosphor anode by an electrical signal applied to the control electrode.

    FABRICATION PROCESS FOR HERMETICALLY SEALED CHAMBER IN SUBSTRATE

    公开(公告)号:CA2221443C

    公开(公告)日:2001-09-25

    申请号:CA2221443

    申请日:1996-05-31

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: A process for fabricating, in a planar substrate, a hermetically sealed cham ber for a field-emission cell or the like, allows operat ing the device in a vacuum or a low pressure inert gas. The process includes methods of covering an opening (160), enclosing the vacuum or g as, and methods of including an optional quantity of gettering material. An exam ple of a device using such a hermetically sealed chamber is a lateral-emitter field-emission device (10) having a lateral emitter (100) pa rallel to a substrate (20) and having a simplified anode structure (70). In one simple embodiment, a control electrode (140) is positioned in a plane above the emitter edge (110) and automatically al igned to that edge. The simplified devices are specially adapted for field emission d isplay arrays. An overall fabrication process uses steps (S1-S18) to produce the devices and arrays. Various embodiments of the fabrication pr ocess allow the use of conductive or insulating substrat es (20), allow fabrication of devices having various functions and complexity, and allow covering a trench opening (160) etched through the emitter and insulator, thus enclosing the hermetically sealed chamber.

    INSULATED-GATE ELECTRON FIELD EMISSION DEVICES AND THEIR FABRICATION PROCESSES

    公开(公告)号:CA2355660A1

    公开(公告)日:2001-02-01

    申请号:CA2355660

    申请日:2000-07-24

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: A lateral-emitter field emission device has a gate (30) that is separated by an insulating layer (40) from a vacuum- or gas-filled environment containing other elements of the device. For example, the gate may be disposed external to a microchamber (110). The insulating layer is disposed such that there is no vacuum- or gas-filled path to the gate for electrons that are emitted fro m a lateral emitter. The insulating layer disposed between the emitter and the gate preferably comprises a material having a dielectric constant greater th an one. The insulating layer also preferably has a low secondary electron yield over the device's operative range of electron energies. For display applications, the insulating layer is preferably transparent. Emitted electrons are confined to the microchamber containing their emitter. Thus, t he gate current component of the emitter current consists of displacement curre nt only, and direct electron current from the emitter to the gate is prevented. An array of the devices comprises an array of microchamber, so that electron current from each emitter can reach only the anode in the same microchamber, even for diode devices lacking a gate electrode. A fabrication process is specially adapted for fabricating the device and arrays of such devices, including formation in situ of a vacuum microchamber.

    VACUUM FIELD-EFFECT DEVICE AND FABRICATION PROCESS THEREFOR

    公开(公告)号:CA2345629A1

    公开(公告)日:2001-02-01

    申请号:CA2345629

    申请日:2000-07-25

    Inventor: POTTER MICHAEL D

    Abstract: An ultra-high-frequency vacuum-channel field-effect microelectronic device (VFED or IGVFED) has a lateral field-emission source (60), a drain (150), an d one or more insulated gates (40, 160). The insulated gate(s) are preferably disposed to extend in overlapping alignment with the emitting edge (85) of t he lateral field-emission source and with a portion of the vacuum-channel regio n (120). If the gate(s) are omitted, the device performs as an ultra-high spee d diode. A preferred fabrication process for the device uses a sacrificial material temporarily deposited in a trench for the vacuum-channel region whi ch is covered with an insulating cover. An access hole in the cover allows removal of the sacrificial material. As part of a preferred fabrication process, the drain preferably acts also as a sealing plug, plugging the acce ss hole and sealing the vacuum-channel region after the vacuum-channel region i s evacuated.

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