Field electron emission materials and devices
AssigneePrintable Field Emitter Limited
InventorsRichard Allan Tuck, Hugh Edward Bishop
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A field electron emission material has a substrate with an electrically conductive surface. Electron emission sites on the conductive surface each include a layer of electrically insulating material to define a primary interface region between the conductive surface and the insulating layer, and a secondary interface region between the insulating layer and the vacuum environment,. Each primary interface region is treated or created so as to enhance the probability of electron injection form the conductive surface into the insulating layer. Each primary interface region after such treatment or creation is either an insulator or graded from conducting adjacent the conductive surface to insulating adjacent the insulating layer.
Claims25
A method of creating a field electron emission material, comprising the steps of:
- providing a substrate having an electrically conductive surface;
- providing a plurality of electron emission sites on said conductive surface, each of said sites including a respective layer of electrically insulating material to define a primary interface region between said conductive surface, or an electrically conductive particle on said conductive surface, and said insulating layer, and a secondary interface region between said insulating layer and the environment in which the field electron emission material is disposed;
- and
- treating or creating the primary interface region of each said layer so as to enhance the probability of electron injection from said conductive surface into said layer, such treatment or creation comprising:
- depositing a layer of material between said conductive surface and insulating layer, which layer of material has properties intermediate those of said conductive surface and said insulating layer;
- or
- doping said conductive surface and/or insulating layer with a material that segregates out at said primary interface region during subsequent processing;
- or
- reaction of the materials of said conductive surface and insulating layer;
- or
- creating said primary interface region as a region of high electrically active doping, high defect density or intermediate chemical composition:
- such that said primary interface region after said treatment or creation is either an insulator or graded from conducting adjacent said conductive surface to insulating adjacent said insulating layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.