Electron emission device and display device for emitting electrons in response to an applied electric field using the electron emission device
AssigneePioneer Electronic Corporation
InventorsShingo Iwasaki, Kiyohide Ogasawara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electron emission device exhibits a high electron emission efficiency. The device includes an electron supply layer of metal or semiconductor, an insulator layer formed on the electron supply layer, and a thin-film metal electrode formed on the insulator layer. The insulator layer is made of a polycrystal dielectric substance and has a film thickness of 50 nm or greater and has a polycrystal phase with an average grain size of 5 to 100 nm as a major component and an amorphous phase as a minor component. When an electric field is applied between the electron supply layer and the thin-film metal electrode, the electron emission device emits electrons.
Claims5
An electron emission device comprising:
- an electron supply layer of semiconductor;
- an insulator layer wholly formed to be a contiguous layer with and on the electron supply layer;
- and
- a thin-film metal electrode formed on the insulator layer and facing a vacuum space;
- wherein said insulator layer is made of a polycrystal dielectric substance and has film thickness of 50 nm or greater and has a polycrystal phase with an average grain size of 5 to 100 nm as a major component and an amorphous phase as a minor component, whereby the electron emission device emits electrons passing through said insulator layer and said thin-film metal when an electric field is applied between the electron supply layer and the thin-film metal electrode.
An electron emission display device comprising:
- a pair of first and second substrates facing each other with a vacuum space in between;
- a plurality of electron emission devices provided on the first substrate, each electron emission device comprising;
- an electron supply layer of semiconductor;
- an insulator layer wholly formed to be a contiguous layer with and on the electron supply layer;
- and
- a thin-film metal electrode formed on the insulator layer and facing the vacuum space, wherein said insulator layer is made of a polycrystal dielectric substance and has a film thickness of 50 nm or greater and has a polycrystal phase with an average grain size of 5 to 100 nm as a major component and an amorphous phase as a minor component, whereby the electron emission device emits electrons passing through said insulator layer and said thin-film metal when an electric field is applied between the electron supply layer and the thin-film metal electrode;
- a collector electrode provided in the second substrate;
- and
- a fluorescent layer formed on the collector electrode.
An electron emission display device comprising:
- a pair of first and second substrates facing each other with a vacuum in between;
- a plurality of ohmic electrodes formed in parallel on an inner surface of the first substrate;
- a plurality of electron emission devices provided on the ohmic electrodes, each of the electron emission devices comprising an electron supply layer of semiconductor;
- an insulator layer wholly formed to be a contiguous layer with and on the electron supply layer;
- and a thin-film metal electrode formed on the insulator layer and facing the vacuum space, wherein said insulator layer is made of a polycrystal dielectric substance and has a film thickness of 50 nm or greater and has a polycrystal phase with an average grain size of 5 to 100 nm as a major component and an amorphous phase as a minor component;
- a plurality of bus electrodes formed on parts of the thin-film metal electrodes and extending in parallel to one another and perpendicular to the ohmic electrodes so as to electrically connect adjoining thin-film metal electrodes;
- a plurality of collector electrodes provided in the second transparent substrate;
- and
- fluorescent layers formed on the collector electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.