Display apparatus comprising diamond field emitters
US5747918A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 6, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 6, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J2201/30457
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A novel and advantageous cathode structure for a field emission display apparatus is disclosed. A given pixel comprises a multiplicity of spaced apart emitter bodies on a support. A given emitter body comprises diamond and/or rare earth boride, and has a relatively sharp geometrical feature that facilitates electron emission from the emitter body. By way of example, the emitter body comprises diamond bodies grown on a support, or it comprises a pre-existing diamond particle that was placed on the support. Such emitter bodies generally can be provided easily and at low cost, and typically have naturally occurring sharp geometrical features such as points and edges. We have also discovered that appropriately grown rare earth boride films of thickness 30 nm or less may substantially improve electron emission from emitter bodies, and some preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a cathode structure that comprises a thin layer of, e.g., LaB.sub.6 on the emitter bodies. Methods of making cathodes according to the invention are also disclosed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.