Field Emitter Arrays for Optical Applications and displays

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I program proposed to develop an enabling electron source suitable for a wide range of application of optical devices, such as field-emission flat-panel displays and head-mounted displays, as well as for enabling compact, tunable infrared lasers, microwave and millimeter amplifiers, etc. Field emitter displays are based on the cold, gated field-emitter arrays, which emit electrons beams at locations that can be addressed spatially and the amount of emitted electrons can be controlled temporally. Field emitter displays can have the visual quality of cathode ray tubes, i.e., high brightness, color purity, wide viewing angle, etc., but are thin and flat. It is our goal to develop stable, uniform, reliable field emitter arrays with collimated electron beams suitable for small pixel sizes, high informtion content, high brightness, high contrast field emitter displays and other optical devices. Phase I will perform design and process simulation of field emitter arrays with integrated lenses and current control. Phase II will perform fabrication and testing of field emitter arrays.