Manufacturing process for high-purity phosphors having utility in field emission displays

A process for manufacturing an anode of a field emission display having a high-purity phosphor coating, said process comprising:

• providing a host lattice starting material and a dopant starting material;
• combining said host lattice starting material and said dopant starting material in a precursor mixture having an initial average particle size and substantially free of any contaminant-generating components containing a Group IA ion or a Group IIA ion;
• processing said precursor mixture to obtain a sized precursor mixture having an average precursor particle size less than about 2 microns;
• placing said sized precursor mixture in a heat treatment vessel formed from platinum;
• heating said sized precursor mixture in said heat treatment vessel to a temperature between about 1200.degree. C. and 2000.degree. C. for a time sufficient to infiltrate said dopant starting material into said host lattice starting material, thereby producing a high-purity phosphor;
• and
• applying said high-purity phosphor to an anode screen of a field emission display.

A process for preparing a high-purity phosphor having utility as a luminescent in a field emission display, said process comprising:

• providing a host lattice starting material selected from the group consisting of silicates, aluminates, oxides, gallates, vandates, tungstates, phosphates, fluorides, oxysulfides, and mixtures thereof, and providing a dopant starting material selected from the group consisting of lanthanides, transition metals, and mixtures thereof;
• combining said host lattice starting material and said dopant starting material in a precursor mixture having an initial average particle size, wherein said precursor mixture consists essentially of said host lattice starting material and said dopant starting material and is substantially free of any contaminant-generating components containing a Group IA ion or a Group IIA ion;
• milling said precursor mixture to obtain a sized precursor mixture having an average precursor particle size less than about 1 micron;
• placing said sized precursor mixture in a substantially impervious heat treatment vessel formed from platinum;
• and
• heating said sized precursor mixture in said heat treatment vessel to a temperature between about 1400.degree. C. and 1800.degree. C. for a time sufficient to infiltrate said dopant starting material into said host lattice starting material, thereby producing a high-purity phosphor.

A process for preparing a high-purity phosphor having utility as a luminescent in a field emission display, said process comprising:

• providing a host lattice starting material and a dopant starting material;
• combining said host lattice starting material and said dopant starting material in a precursor mixture having an initial average particle size and substantially free of any fluxes or antioxidants;
• processing said precursor mixture to obtain a sized precursor mixture having an average precursor particle size less than about 2 microns;
• placing said sized precursor mixture in a heat treatment vessel formed from platinum;
• and
• heating said sized precursor mixture in said heat treatment vessel to a temperature between about 1200.degree. C. and 2000.degree. C. for a time sufficient to infiltrate said dopant starting material into said host lattice starting material, thereby producing a high-purity phosphor.

A process for manufacturing an anode of a field emission display having a high-purity phosphor coating, said process comprising:

• providing a host lattice starting material and a dopant starting material;
• combining said host lattice starting material and said dopant starting material in a precursor mixture having an initial average particle size and substantially free of any fluxes or antioxidants;
• processing said precursor mixture to obtain a sized precursor mixture having an average precursor particle size less than about 2 microns;
• placing said sized precursor mixture in a heat treatment vessel formed from platinum;
• heating said sized precursor mixture in said heat treatment vessel to a temperature between about 1200.degree. C. and 2000.degree. C. for a time sufficient to infiltrate said dopant starting material into said host lattice starting material, thereby producing a high-purity phosphor;
• and
• applying said high-purity phosphor to an anode screen of a field emission display.