Electronic fluorescent display

A cathodoluminescent visual display apparatus comprising a mosaic of devices arranged side by side to form a larger display, each device having a plurality of pixel dots for displaying images when viewed in a viewing direction and comprising:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, and a back plate;
• an anode on or near said face plate;
• luminescent means that emits light in response to electrons, and that is on or adjacent to the anode;
• at least one cathode in the chamber between the face and back plates;
• at least a first and a second set of elongated grid electrodes between the anode and cathode, the electrodes in each set overlapping the luminescent means and electrodes in at least one other set at points when viewed in the viewing direction, wherein the overlapping points define pixel dots;
• means for causing the cathode to emit electrons;
• means for applying electrical potentials to the anode, cathode and the two or more sets of grid electrodes, causing the electrons emitted by the cathode to travel to the luminescent means at the pixel dots on or adjacent to the anode for displaying images;
• and
• spacer means connecting the face and back plates to provide mechanical support for the plates so that the housing will not collapse when the chamber is evacuated, said spacer means including a spacer plate defining holes therein for passage of electrons between the anode and cathode, wherein a predetermined number of one or more pixel dots correspond to and spatially overlap one hole, thereby reducing crosstalk.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a front face plate, a back face plate, and a side wall between the front and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber, said face plates and said side wall having inside surfaces facing the chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of the front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays or layers of both placed between the front face and back face plates, said spacer plates and/or spacer bar arrays abutting one another and the front and back face plates to form a support for the front and back face plates when the chamber is evacuated, wherein said spacer plate layers, or spacer bar arrays, the front face plate and the back face plate define alignment holes therein;
• alignment pins placed in said holes to fix the relative positions between said plates and/or arrays;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a front face plate, a back face plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates, said spacer plates and/or spacer bar arrays abutting one another and the front and back face plates to form a support for the front and back face plates when the chamber is evacuated, said spacer plate defining holes therein for passage of electrons between the anode and cathode, wherein a predetermined number of pixel dots correspond to and spatially overlap one hole when the device is viewed in a viewing direction, thereby reducing crosstalk;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays, wherein said grid electrodes comprise groups of parallel fine metal wires, metal wire cloth meshes, perforated or etched metal foils, or plated electrodes on the surfaces of the spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, a back plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images;
• wherein one or more of the said side walls, the spacer bars, spacer plates and the back face plate have electrodes printed on their surfaces in or facing the chamber, said electrodes containing material that emits secondary electrons upon being impinged by electrons, thereby spreading out the electrons generated by the cathode to improve the uniformity of the device and countering the electric field caused by static charge build up.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, a back plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates, said spacer plates and/or spacer bar arrays abutting one another and the front and back face plates to form a support for the front and back face plates when the chamber is evacuated;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode, areas of the dots that emit light upon impingement of electrons defining the active areas of the dots, wherein the active areas of at least some dots are different from those of other dots;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, a back plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates, said spacer plates and/or spacer bar arrays abutting one another and the front and back face plates to form a support for the front and back face plates when the chamber is evacuated, said spacer plate defining holes therein for passage of electrons between the anode and cathode, wherein a predetermined number of one or more pixel dots correspond to and spatially overlap one hole, thereby reducing crosstalk,
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images;
• wherein said phosphor dots are arranged in linear arrays of the same color selected from the group:
• red, green and blue.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, a back plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• wherein said front face plate is made of, or includes a layer of, spectrum selective glass with transmittance peaks that match the emission peaks of the said cathodoluminescent phosphor dots;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images.

A cathodoluminescent visual display device which comprises:

• a housing defining a chamber therein, said housing having a face plate, a back plate, and a side wall between the face and back plates surrounding and enclosing said chamber;
• wherein said front face plate comprises a Fresnel optical lens;
• at least one cathode;
• an anode on or adjacent to the inside surface of front face plate;
• one or more layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays placed between the front face and back face plates;
• a multitude of cathodoluminescent phosphor dots on top of the anode;
• at least a first and a second set of grid electrodes between the anode and cathodes and separated from the anode, cathode and each other by said layers of spacer plates or spacer bar arrays;
• means for causing the cathode to generate an electron cloud;
• and
• means for applying electrical potentials to the sets of grid electrodes, the anode and cathode, to cause the electrons in the cloud to travel from the cathode to the phosphor dots for displaying images.