FULL COLOR THIOGALLATE TFEL FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS BY ION IMPLANTATION

DUE TO THEIR SMALLER SIZE, WEIGHT, AND REDUCED POWER REQUIREMENTS, FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS (FPDS) BASED ON AC-DRIVEN THIN FILM ELECTROLUMINESCENT PHOSPHORS ARE EMERGING AS A HIGHLY DESIRABLE ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL CATHODE RAY TUBES (CRTS). AT PRESENT, HOWEVER, NO SINGLE PHOSPHOR MATERIAL IS CAPABLE OF EMITTING THE THREE PRIMARY COLORS (RED, GREEN, BLUE) WITH SUFFICIENT INTENSITIES TO PRODUCE A WHITE DISPLAY EQUIVALENT TO A CRT. INADEQUATE BLUE INTENSITIES FROM THE STANDARD ZINC SULFIDE PHOSPHOR HAVE NOW BEEN REMEDIED BY THE DISCOVERY OF BRIGHT BLUE ELECTROLUMINESCENCE FROM CERIUM-DOPED CALCIUM THIOGALLATE. UNFORTUNATELY, FULL COLOR PANELS HAVE REQUIRED STACKING A RED AND GREEN ZINC SULFIDE PANEL ABOVE THE BLUE THIOGALLATE PANEL. TO MANUFACTURE FULL COLOR FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS AT COMPETITIVE COST LEVELS REQUIRES A GREATLY SIMPLIFIED FABRICATION PROCESS THAT RELIES ON A SINGLE PHOSPHOR HOST, WITH COLOR CENTERS INTRODUCED BY ION IMPLANTATION. THIS WILL BE MADE POSSIBLE BY SYNTHESIZING TERNARY SULFIDE MATERIALS COMPOSED OF ALLOYS OF GALLIUM SESQUISULFIDE WITH MIXTURES OF ZINC, MAGNESIUM, AND/OR CALCIUM SULFIDE. VARIOUS RARE EARTH LUMINESCENT CENTERS WILL BE IMPLANTED INTO THESE SINGLE PHOSPHOR FILMS, AND OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS WILL BE EVALUATED. BECAUSE THIS APPROACH ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR MULTIPLE PHOSPHOR DEPOSITION AND PATTERNING STEPS, THE FABRICATION PROCESS WILL LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FPD MANUFACTURING COSTS.