High efficiency field emission display
AssigneeMicron Display Technology, Inc.
InventorsThomas W. Voshell, Glen E. Hush
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a field emission display, a microchannel plate is mounted between an emitter panel and a display screen. The inner walls of the cylindrical passageways through the microchannel plate are coated with a conductive layer which is connected to a plate voltage. Electrons emitted from the emitter panel travel through cylindrical passageways in the microchannel plate toward the display screen. As electrons pass through the microchannels, the electrons are multiplied and collimated to increase the intensity of the light emitted from the screen and to reduce the pixel size.
Claims13
A field emission display comprising:
- an emitter panel including a plurality of emitters and an extraction grid, the emitter panel emitting electrons in response to an electric field between the emitters and the extraction grid;
- an anode positioned opposite the emitter panel;
- a cathodoluminescent layer coating a surface of the anode facing the emitter panel;
- and
- a microchannel plate including a plurality of passageways therethrough, the electron multiplier being positioned between the emitter panel and the anode so that electrons emitted by the emitter panel pass through the passageways as they travel to the anode, the microchannel plate outputting electrons in response to the electrons received from the emitter panel so that electrons pass through the cathodoluminescent layer at a rate that is greater than the rate that electrons are emitted from the emitter panel wherein each of the passageways is aligned to a plurality of the emitters.
A field emission display comprising:
- a display screen having an anode and a cathodoluminescent layer;
- an emitter panel spaced apart from the display screen to define a gap therebetween, the emitter panel including an array of emitting sections oriented to emit electrons toward the display screen each emitting section including a plurality of emitters;
- and
- a microchannel plate positioned in the gap and oriented to intercept the electrons emitted toward the anode the microchannel plate including a dielectric plate having a first surface facing the anode, a second surface facing the emitter panel, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein each of the passageways encircles a plurality of the emitters.
A method of producing a viewable image in a field emission display having an emitter panel and a display screen positioned above the emitter panel, the emitter panel including emitters on a substrate and a grid, comprising the steps of:
- biasing the grid at a grid voltage;
- selectively coupling a plurality of the emitters to a reference voltage below the grid voltage to cause the plurality of emitters to emit electrons;
- biasing the anode at an anode voltage higher than the grid voltage to cause the emitted electrons to travel toward the anode;
- positioning a microchannel plate having a plurality of passageways therethrough between the emitters and the anode;
- aligning the microchannel plate to the emitter panel with one of the passageways aligned to a selected plurality of the emitters;
- biasing a microchannel plate at a plate voltage;
- intercepting the emitted electrons traveling toward the anode with the microchannel plate to cause the microchannel plate to produce a multiplied set of electrons;
- and
- intercepting the electrons in the multiplied set of electrons with the cathodoluminescent layer to cause the cathodoluminescent layer to emit light, the emitted light producing the viewable image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.