Abstract:
A field emitter cell includes a thin film edge emitter normal to a gate layer. The field emitter is a multilayer structure including a low work function material sandwiched between two protective layers. The field emitter may be fabricated from a composite starting structure including a conductive substrate layer, an insulation layer, a standoff layer and a gate layer, with a perforation extending from the gate layer into the substrate layer. The emitter material is conformally deposited by chemical beam deposition along the sidewalls of the perforation. Alternatively, the starting material may be a conductive substrate having a protrusion thereon. The emitter layer, standoff layer, insulation layer, and gate layer are sequentially deposited, and the unwanted portions of each are preferentially removed to provide the desired structure.
Abstract:
A self-gettering electron field emitter has a first portion formed of a low-work-function material for emitting electrons, and it has an integral second portion that acts both as a low-resistance electrical conductor and as a gettering surface. The self-gettering emitter is formed by disposing a thin film of the low-work-function material parallel to a substrate and by disposing a thin film of the low-resistance gettering material parallel to the substrate and in contact with the thin film of the low-work-function material. The self-gettering emitter is particularly suitable for use in lateral field emission devices. The preferred emitter structure has a tapered edge, with a salient portion of the low-work-function material extending a small distance beyond an edge of the gettering and low resistance material. A fabrication process specially adapted for in situ formation of the self-gettering electron field emitters while fabricating microelectronic field emission devices is also disclosed.
Abstract:
Thin-film edge emission devices and methods for forming are provided. The emitters are formed to have extended edges. They are formed by oblique deposition on a surface of material which extends from a substrate. The material is substantially removed to leave the thin-film emitter. A gate may then be formed around the emitter. Arrays of such thin-film emitters may be used in a variety of electronic devices.
Abstract:
In a method, a film for a gate electrode, exposed through the sidewall of a trench, is thermally treated to grow a thermal oxide film which is, then, removed at the lateral side of the gate electrode, to spatially separate the gate electrode from the gate insulating film in space. This method precisely controls the thermal oxide film formed at the lateral side of the gate electrode, so that the distance between the gate electrode and the electron emission cathode can be accurately adjusted. The electron emission cathodes are homogeneous in shape. Also, the reliability of the display can be improved since a silicide metal is formed on the electron emission cathodes.
Abstract:
A thin-film edge field emitter device includes a substrate having a first rtion and having a protuberance extending from the first portion, the protuberance defining at least one side-wall, the side-wall constituting a second portion. An emitter layer is disposed on the substrate including the second portion, the emitter layer being selected from the group consisting of semiconductors and conductors and is a thin-film including a portion extending beyond the second portion and defining an exposed emitter edge. A pair of supportive layers is disposed on opposite sides of the emitter layer, the pair of supportive layers each being selected from the group consisting of semiconductors and conductors and each having a higher work function than the emitter layer.
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).
Abstract:
A field emission device may comprise: an emitter comprising a cathode electrode and an electron emission source supported by the cathode electrode; an insulating spacer around the emitter, the insulating spacer forming an opening that is a path of electrons emitted from the electron emission source; and/or a gate electrode around the opening. The electron emission source may comprise a plurality of graphene thin films vertically supported in the cathode electrode toward the opening.
Abstract:
An electronic device including a first conducting layer, a second conducting layer, and an insulating layer provided between the conducting layers. At least one side wall extends from the first conducting layer to the second conducting layer and includes at least a portion of the first conducting layer, the second conducting layer and the insulating layer. A bias voltage is applied between the first and second conducting layers, wherein responsive to the bias voltage, a two dimensional electron system is induced at least in one of the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer, and wherein electrons from the two dimensional electron system are emitted from the side wall side wall as a result of Coulombic repulsion and travel in air from the one of the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer to the other of the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer.
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:
The present invention relates to a display device that employs edge emitters as a source for pixel electrons. The edge emitters allow the viewing glass plate to be made very small or eliminated, thereby substantially reducing the size of or eliminating the spacers typically utilized in conventional display devices and thereby enabling a simple and compact assembly structure. In one embodiment a pixel configuration comprises a phosphor area disposed between a plurality edge emitters, each of which are associated with tynes that are adapted to reduce the distance between the emitters and that separate the phosphor area into segments such that the emitters emit electrons when the voltage between a phosphor segment and the an emitter exceed a threshold voltage to cause the phosphor segment to emit light.