OPTIMIZATION OF AMORPHIC DIAMOND(TM) FIELD EMITTERS

LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD) TECHNOLOGY IS CURRENTLY THE MOST POPULAR PLATFORM FOR FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS (FPD), BUT IT SUFFERS FROM COMPLEX MANUFACTURING AND HIGH COST PROBLEMS. GREAT DIFFICULTIES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED IN PRODUCING DEMONSTRATION PROTOTYPE FIELD EMISSION DISPLAYS (FED) WHICH HAVE BEEN PROMOTED AS THE LEAP-FROG FPD TECHNOLOGY. THIS IS MAINLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE MANUFACTURABILITY AND SCALABILITY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRADITIONAL MICRO-TIP TYPE OF COLD CATHODE USED AS THE SOURCE OF ELECTRONS IN ALL CURRENT FEDS. THE RECENT INVENTION OF AMORPHIC DIAMOND(TM) (AD(TM)) FIELD EMITTER COLD CATHODE IS PROBABLY THE FIRST REVOLUTIONARY DISCOVERY AFFECTING FPD TECHNOLOGY SINCE THE ORIGINAL MICRO-TIPS WERE DEVELOPED ALMOST TWENTY YEARS AGO. THE THIN FILM AD(TM) CATHODES HAVE A VERY LOW EFFECTIVE WORK FUNCTION (ON THE ORDER OF 0.2EV), HAVE HIGH DENSITY OF EMISSION SITES, HAVE HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, ARE CHEMICALLY INERT, CAN BE DEPOSITED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, AND ARE FPD MATERIAL AND PROCESS COMPATIBLE. RESEARCHERS ARE CONCENTRATING ON THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FIELD EMISSION PHENOMENON FROM THESE FILMS AND CARRYING OUT A SYSTEMATIC STUDY FOR OPTIMIZATION OF THESE MATERIALS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THESE MECHANISMS WILL HELP NOT ONLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER QUALITY AD(TM) EMITTERS, BUT MAY ALSO LEAD TO NEW (NON-CARBON BASED) AND EVEN BETTER FIELD EMITTERS.