FABRICATION AND STRUCTURE OF ELECTRON-EMITTING DEVICES HAVING HIGH EMITTER PACKING DENSITY

摘要

Electron-emissive elements in area electron emitters suitable for flat-panel displays are fabricated at high packing density. The electron-emissive elements have various shapes such as filaments (30A, 30B, or 30/88D1), cones (1181 or 142D), and cone-topped pedestals (92/1021). A typical emitter contains a substrate (20) that provides structural support. A patterned lower non-insulating region (22) formed with parallel lines is provided over insulating material of the substrate. Electron-emissive filaments (30A, 30B, or 30/88D1) are formed in pores (281) extending through an insulating layer (24) furnished over the lower non-insulating region. A patterned non-insulating gate layer (34B, 40B, or 46B) is typically provided over the insulating layer to form a gated device. Charged-particle tracks (261 or 50A1/50B1) are preferably employed to define locations for electron-emissive features. Usage of charged-particle tracks enables the electron-emissive features to be quite small and spaced closely together.