Abstract:
A matrix field-emission cathode (5) comprises a monocrystalline silicon substrate (7) on which are arranged epitaxially grown pointed silicon emitters (1) which also act as a ballast resistor connected in series. In an advantageous embodiment of the proposed cathode, for a radius of curvature (r) at the emitter tip not exceeding 10 nm, the ratio of the height (h) of the emitter to the radius (r) is not less than 1000, while the ratio of (h) to the diameter (D) at the emitter base is not less than 1. The angle alpha at the emitter tip does not exceed 30 DEG . The specific resistance of the emitter material is chosen so as to ensure that the resistance of each emitter will be comparable with the resistance between the cathode and the opposing electrode. The proposed cathode is used in an electronic device for displaying information which also has an anode (3) in the form of a strip (11) of phosphorescent material (10) and a conducting layer (9) whose projection onto the cathode (5) is perpendicular to the conducting paths (6) on the cathode; the anode itself acts as the control electrode.
Abstract:
A vertical field emitter structure (116) and field emission device such as a flat panel display (123) utilizing such structure. Self-aligned gate and emitter fabrication is described, together with virtual column field emitter structures (321), comprising an emitter or gated emitter (328) with conductive columns connecting the emitter to an underlying resistor or conductor structure (325) formed by chemical or other modification of portions of an underlying layer. The display of the invention utilizes field emission structures with low turn-on voltages and high accelerating voltages, thereby permitting high brightness, small pixel size, low manufacturing costs, uniform brightness, and high energy efficiency to be achieved.
Abstract:
Methods for making low work-functions electrodes either made from or coated with an electride material (2) in which the electride material has lattice defect sites are described. Lattice defect sites are regions of the crystal structure where irregularities and deformations occur. Also provided are methods for making electrodes which consist of a substrate (1) coated with a layer of a compound comprised of a cation complexed by an electride former (2), in which said complex has lattice defect sites. In addition, methods for making electrodes which consist of a bulk metal coated with a layer of an electride former having lattice defect sites are described. The electride former stabilizes the loss of electrons by surface sites on the metal, lowering the work-function of the coated surface.
Abstract:
An electron emitter (121, 221, 321, 421) includes an electron emitter structure (118) having a passivation layer (120, 220, 320, 420) formed thereon. The passivation layer (120, 220, 320, 420) is made from an oxide selected from a group consisting of the oxides of Ba, Ca, Sr, In, Sc, Ti, Ir, Co, Sr, Y, Zr, Ru, Pd, Sn, Lu, Hf, Re, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Th, and combinations thereof. In the preferred embodiment, the electron emitter structure (118) is made from molybdenum, and the passivation layer (120, 220, 320, 420) is made from an emission-enhancing oxide having a work function that is less than the work function of the molybdenum.
Abstract:
Process for making a cesiated diamond film emitter (58a) comprises (a) depositing a quantity of cesium iodide on the diamond film in a vacuum and applying an electron beam having sufficient energy to dissociate said cesium iodide and to incorporate cesium into the interstices of the diamond film. The cesiated diamond emitter prepared according to the process has an operating voltage that is reduced by a factor of at least about 2.5 relative to conventional non-cesiated diamond film emitters.
Abstract:
A cathode structure (200, 203, 204) suitable for a flat panel display is provided with coated emitters (229, 239, 230). The emitters are formed with material, typically nickel, capable of growing to a high aspect ration. These emitters are then coated with carbon containing material (240, 241) for improving the chemical robustness and reducing the work function. One coating process is a DC plasma deposition process in which acetylene is pumped through a DC plasma reactor (301, 305, 313, and 315) to create a DC plasma for coating the cathode structure. An alternative coating process is to electrically deposit raw carbon-based material onto the surface of the emitters, and subsequently reduce the raw carbon-based material to the carbon containing material. Work function of coated emitters is typically reduced by about 0.8 to 1.0 eV.
Abstract:
An imaging apparatus (100) for providing an image from a display (106) to an observer (101), comprising: a display (106) generating an optical output, an imaging surface member (109) constructed and arranged for viewing by said observer, and a scanning mirror/lens assembly (102) optically interposed between the display and the imaging surface member, and constructed and arranged to motively repetitively scan the display, generate a scanned image, and transmit the scanned image to the imaging surface member, for viewing of the scanned image. Various field emitter display designs and subassemblies are described, which may be usefully employed in such imaging apparatus.
Abstract:
A matrix addressed diode flat panel display (820) including a diode pixel structure. The flat panel display includes a cathode assembly having a plurality of cathodes (210-280), each cathode including a plurality of cathode conductive material (440) and a layer of low effective work-function material (460) deposited over the cathode conductive material and an anode assembly having a plurality of anodes (290-292), each anode including a layer of anode conductive material (410) and a cathodoluminescent material (430) deposited over the anode conductive material, the anode assembly located proximate the cathode assembly to thereby receive the charged particle emissions from the cathode assembly. The display further includes means (100) for selectively varying field emissions between the plurality of corresponding light-emitting anodes and field-emission cathodes.
Abstract:
The following method is provided: a method of readily fabricating an electron-emitting device, coated with a low-work function material, having good electron-emitting properties with high reproducibility such that differences in electron-emitting properties between electron-emitting devices are reduced. Before a structure is coated with the low-work function material, a metal oxide layer is formed on the structure.
Abstract:
A stable cold field electron emitter is produced by forming a coating on an emitter base material. The coating protects the emitter from the adsorption of residual gases and from the impact of ions, so that the cold field emitter exhibits short term and long term stability at relatively high pressures and reasonable angular electron emission.