Candescent Technologies Corporation

University of California

Other

Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Anthony P Schmid

Christopher J Spindt

Theodore S Fahlen

David L Morris

Yu Nan Sun

Paul A Lovoi

Alan F Jankowski

Paul N Ludwig

Christopher J Curtin

Alfred S Conte

Robert J Pressley

Steven T Cho

David R Morris

Dmitriy Krupetsky

Anthony J Cooper

Floyd R Pothoven

Sun Yu Nan Nan

A tuned sealing material and a method for attaching a first surface to a second surface using the tuned sealing material are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present invention applies a tuned sealing material between a first surface and a second surface. In this embodiment, the tuned sealing material is comprised of a combination of a filler material and a glass material. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the filler material is tuned to absorb electromagnetic radiation of a selected frequency. Next, in the present embodiment, the tuned sealing material is subjected to the electromagnetic radiation of the selected frequency. As a result of tuning the filler material, the tuned sealing material absorbs the electromagnetic radiation of the selected frequency. After absorbing the electromagnetic radiation of the desired frequency, the tuned sealing material is used to attach the first surface and the second surface.

Tuned sealing material for sealing of a flat panel display

A spacer ( ) suitable for use in a flat panel display is formed with ceramic, transition metal, and oxygen. At least part of the oxygen is bonded to the transition metal or/and constituents of the ceramic to form a uniform electrically resistive material having a resistivity of 10  ohm-cm and a secondary electron emission coefficient of less than 2 at 2 kilovolts.

Spacer suitable for use in flat panel display

Thin films of Ti&mdash;Cr&mdash;Al&mdash;O are used as a resistor material. The films are rf sputter deposited from ceramic targets using a reactive working gas mixture of Ar and O . Resistivity values from 10 to 10 Ohm-cm have been measured for Ti&mdash;Cr&mdash;Al&mdash;O film <1 &mgr;m thick. The film resistivity can be discretely selected through control of the target composition and the deposition parameters. The application of Ti&mdash;Cr&mdash;Al&mdash;O as a thin film resistor has been found to be thermodynamically stable, unlike other metal-oxide films. The Ti&mdash;Cr&mdash;Al&mdash;O film can be used as a vertical or lateral resistor, for example, as a layer beneath a field emission cathode in a flat panel display; or used to control surface emissivity, for example, as a coating on an insulating material such as vertical wall supports in flat panel displays.

Flat panel display using Ti-Cr-Al-O thin film

A pair of plate structures ( and ), such as a baseplate structure and a faceplate structure of a flat-panel display, are sealed to each other by first attaching the plate structures to each other, typically at multiple attachment locations, in a non-vacuum environment. The plate structures are then hermetically sealed to each other, typically through an outer wall ( ) or/and typically by gap jumping, in a vacuum environment.

Sealing of plate structures

Thin films of Ti-Cr-Al-O are used as a resistor material. The films are rf sputter deposited from ceramic targets using a reactive working gas mixture of Ar and O,. Resistivity values from 10,to 10,Ohm-cm have been measured for Ti-Cr-Al-O film <1 &mgr;m thick. The film resistivity can be discretely selected through control of the target composition and the deposition parameters. The application of Ti-Cr-Al-O as a thin film resistor has been found to be thermodynamically stable, unlike other metal-oxide films. The Ti-Cr-Al-O film can be used as a vertical or lateral resistor, for example, as a layer beneath a field emission cathode in a flat panel display; or used to control surface emissivity, for example, as a coating on an insulating material such as vertical wall supports in flat panel displays.

Process for producing Ti-Cr-Al-O thin film resistors

A flat panel display contains a faceplate structure (174 or 350), a backplate structure (175 or 351), and a spacer (140, 340, 0r 341). A light-emitting structure (171 or 306) is located along a faceplate (170 or 302) in the faceplate structure. An electron-emitting structure (172 or 305) is located along a backplate (173 or 303) in the backplate structure. The spacer is situated between the light-emitting and electron-emitting structures. Transition metal oxide or transition metal in oxide state is present in a ceramic core (401, 501, 0r 601) or/and a resistive skin (402, 403, 502, 503, 602, or 603) of the spacer.

Flat panel display typically having transition metal oxide in ceramic

Thin films of Ti--Cr--Al--O are used as a resistor material. The films are rf sputter deposited from ceramic targets using a reactive working gas mixture of Ar and O.sub.2. Resistivity values from 10.sup.4 to 10.sup.10 Ohm-cm have been measured for Ti--Cr--Al--O film &lt;1 .mu.m thick. The film resistivity can be discretely selected through control of the target composition and the deposition parameters. The application of Ti--Cr--Al--O as a thin film resistor has been found to be thermodynamically stable, unlike other metal-oxide films. The Ti--Cr--Al--O film can be used as a vertical or lateral resistor, for example, as a layer beneath a field emission cathode in a flat panel display; or used to control surface emissivity, for example, as a coating on an insulating material such as vertical wall supports in flat panel displays.

TI--CR--AL--O thin film resistors

Portions (40 and 44) of a structure, such as a flat-panel device, are sealed together by a gap-jumping technique in which a sealing area (40S) of one portion is positioned near a matching sealing area (44S) of another portion such that a gap (48) at least partially separates the two sealing areas. The gap typically has an average height of 25 .mu.m or more. With the two portions of the structure so positioned, energy is initially transferred locally to material of a specified one of the portions along part of the gap while the two portions are in a non-vacuum environment to cause material of the two portions to bridge that part of the gap and partially seal the two portions together along the sealing areas. Energy is subsequently transferred locally to material of the specified portion of the structure along the remainder (48A) of the gap while the two portions are in a vacuum environment to cause material of the two portions to bridge the remainder of the gap and complete sealing of the two portions together along the gap. A laser (56) is typically employed in performing at least one of the gap-jumping steps.

Gap jumping to seal structure, typically using combination of vacuum and

A flat panel display (500 or 700) contains a faceplate structure (510 or720), a backplate structure (511 or 730) coupled to the faceplate structure, and a plurality of spacers (501-503, 601, or 701-707) situated between the faceplate and backplate structures. The faceplate structure is formed with a faceplate )721) and a light emitting structure (722). The backplate structure is formed with a backplate (731) and an electron emitting structure (732). The core of each spacer is a spacer body (602 or 757). A face electrode (501a-503a, 203, 604, or 771-778) overlies the spacer body of each spacer. A common bus structure (504 or 723) electrically connects the face electrodes, thereby enabling charge built up on any particular spacer to be distributed among all the spacers.

Flat panel display with common bus structure

A flat panel display (300) contains a faceplate structure (320), a backplate structure (330) coupled to the faceplate structure, and a spacer (351 or 352) situated between the faceplate and backplate structures. The spacer is formed with material having a dielectric constant greater than 100 times the permittivity constant. The constituents of the spacer material typically include oxygen and aluminum, chromium, and titanium bonded to the oxygen. The titanium is present in the spacer at a level corresponding to approximately 4% titanium oxide by weight.

Flat panel display with spacer of high dielectric constant

The invention provides spacers for separating and supporting a faceplate structure and a backplate structure in a flat panel display, and methods for fabricating these spacers. Each spacer is typically made of ceramic, such as alumina, containing transition metal oxide, such as titania, chromia or iron oxide. Each spacer can be fabricated with an electrically insulating core and electrically resistive skins. The insulating core can be a wafer formed of ceramic such as alumina, and the resistive skins can be formed by laminating electrically resistive wafers, formed from alumina containing transition metal oxide, to the outside surfaces of the insulating core. Each spacer can also have a core of electrically insulating ceramic composition made of a ceramic containing a transition metal oxide in its higher oxide states, and electrically resistive outside surfaces made of a ceramic containing a transition metal oxide in lower oxide states. Face and/or edge metallization strips can optionally be provided on each spacer.

Formation of spacers suitable for use in flat panel displays

Spacers (140 or 404) suitable for a flat panel display are fabricated according to a process in which a laminated wafer (100 or 400) is formed by laminating a core wafer (401) of electrically insulating ceramic to an additional wafer (402 or 403) created at least from electrically insulating ceramic, transition metal, and oxygen, at least part of the oxygen being bonded to the transition metal and/or constituents of the ceramic. The laminated wafer is then cut to form the spacers. Face metallization strips (101-110 or 405 and 406) may be provided over outside face surfaces of the laminated wafer.

Formations of spacers suitable for use in flat panel displays

According to the invention, a flat panel device includes a spacer for providing internal support. In one embodiment, the spacer is made of ceramic, glass-ceramic, ceramic reinforced glass, devitrified glass, metal with electrically insulative coating or high-temperature vacuum-compatible polyimide, and can be a spacer wall, a spacer structure including a plurality of holes, or some combination of a spacer wall, spacer walls, and spacer structure. Spacer surfaces are treated to reduce secondary emissions and prevent charging of the spacer surfaces. The flat panel device can include a thermionic cathode or a field emitter cathode, and the faceplate and backplate can both be straight or both be curved. The flat panel device can include an addressing grid. In a method according to the invention for assembling a flat panel device, spacer walls are held in proper alignment during assembly by being inserted into a notch formed in the addressing grid and/or a top or bottom wall of the enclosure. Spacers according to the invention can be easily fabricated using standard techniques for forming and assembling ceramic or glass-ceramic tape.

Methods for fabricating a flat panel display having high voltage supports

According to the invention, a flat panel device includes a faceplate, a backplate made of a co-fired ceramic substrate and attached to the faceplate to form a sealed enclosure, and structure for producing light. The faceplate includes an active region. The light producing structure is divided into a matrix of 'display elements,' or a plurality of 'light producing elements.' Driver circuitry is formed on or attached to a surface of the backplate. The driver circuitry is connected to the display elements or light producing elements by electrically conductive vias formed entirely or partially through or within the ceramic substrate, and electrically conductive traces formed within or on one or more surfaces of the ceramic substrate. Each of the display elements or light producing elements is controlled by the driver circuitry to cause light emission at a corresponding pixel or pixels of the faceplate active region.

Growing community of inventors

Solana Beach, CA, United States of America

Anthony P Schmid