Cathodo-/electro-luminescent device and method of fabricating a cathodo-/electro-luminescent device using porous silicon/porous silicon carbide as an electron emitter

Abstract

The invention consists of a flat panel display device that combines the simplicity of manufacture of a TFEL display with the phosphor stimulation capabilities of an FED. A phosphor such a ZnS:Mn can act as both an EL phosphor and as a cathodoluminescent phosphor. The phosphor is deposited on a porous silicon underlayer that contains a labyrinth of fissures, voids, hillocks, and microscopically rough surfaces. At the phosphor-porous silicon interface, the labyrinthine surface possesses hundreds to thousands of electric field line compression points that can be characterized by an average field enhancement. When this underlayer is the cathode, high energy electrons are injected into the phosphor producing substantial light emission even at low applied fields. Additionally, the surrounding silicon is available to integrate drive circuitry and provide a TFT at each pixel, if needed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.