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US 5,514,937 AGranted
Apparatus and method for compensating electron emission in a field emission device
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsRobert C. Kane, Robert T. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electron emission device including an array of microelectronic field emission devices, each with an integrally formed capacitance, a plurality of switches, a weighting level detector, and data storage and weighting structure. In one operational method, the field emission device electron current emission is characterized and a weighting factor is calculated and coupled into the data storage and weighting means so as to provide electron emission device electron emission current in accordance with a desired emission level as prescribed by a data input signal and notwithstanding variations in electron current emission which may be present due to device fabrication.
Claims12
Electron emission apparatus comprising:
- a field emission device including
- an electron emitter,
- a gate extraction electrode, and
- an integrally formed capacitance;
- a weighting level detector;
- a switch having first and second current carrying terminals and a control terminal, the first current carrying terminal of the switch being coupled to the integrally formed capacitance and the second current carrying terminal of the switch being coupled to a controllable potential source and to the weighting level detector;
- and
- data storage and weighting structure having an output coupled to the controllable potential source and an input coupled to the weighting level detector.
5 more elements
Electron emission apparatus comprising:
- an array of field emission devices each including an electron emitter, a gate extraction electrode, and an integrally formed capacitance therebetween;
- a weighting level detector;
- a plurality of switches each having first and second current carrying terminals and a control terminal, the first current carrying terminal of each of the switches being coupled to the integrally formed capacitance of a different one of the array of field emission devices and the second current carrying terminal of each of the switches being coupled to a controllable potential source and to the weighting level detector;
- and
- data storage and weighting structure having an output coupled to the controllable potential source and an input coupled to the weighting level detector.
2 more elements
A method for compensating, limiting, and controlling electron emission in an electron emission device including the steps of:
- providing an electron emission apparatus including a field emission device having an electron emitter and a gate extraction electrode with an integrally formed capacitance therebetween and a switch having a first terminal coupled to the integrally formed capacitance and a second terminal connected to a controllable potential source;
- operating the switch to provide electron charge through the switch to the integrally formed capacitance from the controllable potential source during a charge time period;
- performing a first voltage detect operation to monitor the voltage level to which the integrally formed capacitance has been charged;
- performing a wait period during which electron current in the field emission device is substantially provided by charge stored in the integrally formed capacitance;
- performing a second voltage detect operation to monitor the voltage level to which the charge on the integrally formed capacitance has been depleted by electron emission of the field emission device;
- performing an electron emission information calculation and weight assignment operation;
- and
- utilizing the electron emission information to control the controllable potential source to provide a desired electron emission by the field emission device.
5 more elements
A method for compensating, limiting, and controlling electron emission in an electron emission device including the steps of:
- providing an electron emission apparatus including a field emission device having an electron emitter and a gate extraction electrode with an integrally formed capacitance therebetween, a switch having a first terminal coupled to the integrally formed capacitance and a second terminal connected to a controllable potential source and to an input of a weighting level detector, and data storage and weighting structure having a data input line coupled thereto, an input line from the data storage and weighting structure and a potential source enable line operably coupled to a control input of the potential source;
- providing electron charge to the integrally formed capacitance during a charge time period;
- performing a first voltage detect operation to monitor the voltage level to which the integrally formed capacitance has been charged;
- performing a wait period during which electron current in the field emission device is substantially provided by integrally formed capacitance stored charge;
- performing a second voltage detect operation;
- performing an electron emission information calculation and weight assignment operation;
- and
- providing the calculated electron emission information to the data storage and weighting structure.
5 more elements
A method for compensating, limiting, and controlling electron emission in an electron emission device including the sequential steps of:
- providing an electron emission apparatus including a field emission device having an electron emitter and a gate extraction electrode with an integrally formed capacitance therebetween, a switch having a first terminal coupled to the integrally formed capacitance and a second terminal coupled to a controllable potential source and a weighting level detector, a select line operably coupled to the switch, a weight factor enable line operably coupled to the weighting level detector, a data storage and weighting structure, a data input line coupled to the data storage and weighting structure and a potential source enable line coupling the potential source to an output of the data storage and weighting structure;
- providing signals to at least some of the select, weight factor enable, data input and potential source enable lines of the various lines at a start time;
- providing electron charge to the integrally formed capacitance during a charge time period;
- performing a first voltage detect operation to monitor the voltage level to which the integrally formed capacitance has been charged;
- performing a wait period during which electron current in the field emission device is substantially provided by integrally formed capacitance stored charge;
- performing a second detect voltage operation;
- performing an emission calculation and decision operation to determine if the emission is correct and exiting the method sequence if emission is correct;
- and
- providing electron emission information to the data storage and weighting means and repeat the sequence beginning with step B above.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.