Method of fabricating a field emission device
AssigneeSamsung Display Devices Co., Ltd.
InventorJong-min Kim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of fabricating a field emission device which can facilitate the formation of a micro-tip for emitting electrons by a field effect. The micro-tip is fabricated such that the etching rate differences among the tungsten cathode, the lower titanium adhesive layer and the upper aluminum mask, and the internal stress differences are made to be very large, and thus, tungsten micro-tip is protruded by the internal stress when the adhesive layer and the mask are instantaneously etched. Since the micro-tip size is easily adjusted, and the internal stress of tungsten and characteristics of BOE method are utilized throughout the fabricating process, the reproducibility is ensured.
Claims28
A method of fabricating a field emission device comprising the steps of:
- a) sequentially depositing on a rear substrate an adhesive layer formed of a material etchable at a first etching rate with respect to a predetermined etchant, a cathode layer formed of a metal which is not etched by said etchant and having an internal stress with respect to said adhesive layer higher than a predetermined magnitude, and a mask layer formed of a material etchable at a second etching rate lower than said first etching rate with respect to said etchant;
- b) forming a triangular mask by patterning said mask layer;
- c) forming a striped cathode pattern having a potential micro-tip portion by etching an exposed portion of said cathode layer using said mask;
- d) forming an insulating layer on said rear substrate where said mask and said potential micro-tip portion are formed;
- e) forming a gate on said insulating layer using a lift-off method;
- f) exposing said mask and said potential micro-tip portion by selectively etching said insulating layer using said gate as a mask;
- and
- g) forming a micro-tip by protruding said potential micro-tip portion due to the internal stress by etching, within a predetermined time, said adhesive layer and said mask, each being below and above said potential micro-tip portion.
A method of fabricating a field emission device comprising the steps of:
- a) sequentially depositing on a rear substrate an adhesive layer formed of a material etchable at a first etching rate with respect to a predetermined etchant, a cathode layer formed of a metal which is etched by said etchant and having an internal stress with respect to said adhesive layer higher than a predetermined magnitude, a mask layer formed of a material etchable at a second etching rate lower than said first etching rate with respect to said etchant, an insulating layer, and a gate layer;
- b) forming gates having the striped pattern by patterning said gate layer;
- c) selectively etching said insulating layer using said gates as a mask;
- d) forming a triangular mask by patterning said mask layer;
- e) forming a striped cathode pattern having a potential micro-tip portion by etching the exposed portion of said cathode layer using said mask;
- and
- f) forming a micro-tip by protruding said potential micro-tip portion due to the internal stress by etching, within a predetermined time, said adhesive layer and said mask, each being below and above said potential micro-tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.