Micron Technology Incorporated

Micron Display Technology, Inc.

Jimmy J Browning

David A Cathey

Charles Martin Watkins

Zhongyi Xia

John K Lee

Tyler A Lowrey

Zhong-Yi Xia

A method is provided for forming and associating a lower section of a large-area field emission device ('FED') that is sealed under a predetermined level of vacuum pressure with an upper section of a large-area FED. The upper section of the FED includes a faceplate. A first conductive layer is disposed on a surface of the faceplate. A matrix member is disposed on a surface of the first conductive layer, and cathodoluminescent material is disposed on the first conductive layer in areas not covered by the matrix member. The method includes disposing a plurality of spacers between the upper and lower sections of the FED to provide a predetermined separation between the upper and lower sections, with the spacers having cross-sectional shapes commensurate with stresses exerted on the spacers and/or heights commensurate with stresses exerted on the spacers. Resulting FED structures are disclosed.

Method for making large-area FED apparatus

A high resolution field emission display includes a faceplate and a baseplate. The faceplate includes a transparent viewing layer, a transparent conductive layer formed on the transparent viewing layer and intersecting stripes of light-absorbing, opaque insulating material formed on the transparent conductive layer. The insulating material defines openings less than one hundred microns wide between the intersecting stripes. The faceplate also includes a plurality of localized regions of cathodoluminescent material, each formed in one of the openings. The cathodoluminescent material includes a metal oxide providing reduced resistivity in the cathodoluminescent material. Significantly, the reduced resistivity of the cathodoluminescent material together with the focusing effect of the insulating material provide increased acuity in luminous images formed on the faceplate. The baseplate includes a substrate, an emitter formed on the substrate and a dielectric layer formed on the substrate and having an opening formed about the emitter. The baseplate also includes a conductive extraction grid formed on the dielectric layer and having an opening formed about the emitter.

Focusing electrode and method for field emission displays

A large-area field emission device (&ldquo;FED&rdquo;) which is sealed under a predetermined level of vacuum pressure and method for making same includes a large-area substrate, an emitter electrode structure disposed on the substrate such that the emitter structure is disposed over a substantial portion of the substrate, a plurality of groups of micropoints, with each group having a predetermined number of micropoints and with each group being disposed at discrete positions on the emitter electrode structure, an insulating layer disposed over the substrate, with the insulating layer having openings therethrough which have a diameter within a predetermined range, and with each openings surrounding at least a portion a micropoint, an extraction structure disposed on the insulating layer, with the extraction structure having openings therethrough which have a diameter within a predetermined range, with each openings surrounding at least a portion of a micropoint, and with the openings in the extraction structure being aligned with openings in the insulating layer, a faceplate disposed above and spaced away from the extraction structure that is transparent to predetermined wavelengths of light, an indium tin oxide (&ldquo;ITO&rdquo;) layer disposed on a surface of the faceplate towards the extraction structure, a matrix member disposed on the ITO layer, with the matrix member defining areas of the ITO surface that are to serve as pixel areas, with the pixel areas being aligned with the micropoints of a group micropoints, cathodoluminescent material disposed on the ITO in a plurality pixel areas, with the cathodoluminescent material at a particular pixel area being aligned to receive electron emitted from the micropoints associated that pixel area, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the faceplate and the extraction structure at predetermined locations, with each spacer having a height and cross-sectional shape commensurate with stresses that spacer will encounter caused by the vacuum pressure within the FED.

Large-area FED apparatus and method for making same

A large-area field emission device (&ldquo;FED&rdquo;) which is sealed under a predetermined level of vacuum pressure and method for making same includes a large-area substrate, an emitter electrode structure disposed on the substrate such that the emitter structure is disposed over a substantial portion of the substrate, a plurality of groups of micropoints, with each group having a predetermined number of micropoints and with each group being disposed at discrete positions on the emitter electrode structure, an insulating layer disposed over the substrate, with the insulating layer having openings therethrough which have a diameter within a predetermined range, and with each openings surrounding at least a portion a micropoint, an extraction structure disposed on the insulating layer, with the extraction structure having openings therethrough which have a diameter within a predetermined range, with each openings surrounding at least a portion of a micropoint, and with the openings in the extraction structure being aligned with openings in the insulating layer, a faceplate disposed above and spaced away from the extraction structure that is transparent predetermined wavelengths of light, an indium tin oxide (&ldquo;ITO&rdquo;) layer disposed on a surface of the faceplate towards the extraction structure, a matrix member disposed on the ITO layer, with the matrix member defining areas of the ITO surface that are to serve as pixel areas, with the pixel areas being aligned with the micropoints of a group micropoints, cathodoluminescent material disposed on the ITO in a plurality pixel areas, with the cathodoluminescent material at a particular pixel area being aligned to receive electron emitted from the micropoints associated that pixel area, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the faceplate and the extraction structure at predetermined locations, with each spacer having a height and cross-sectional shape commensurate with stresses that spacer will encounter caused by the vacuum pressure within the FED.

Methods and apparatus for identifying and disabling shorted electrode pairs (such as field emitter tip electrodes shorted to grid electrodes) in a field emission display by applying a test voltage across the two electrodes in each pair. The magnitude of the test voltage is set below the voltage required to initiate field emission from the emitter tip electrode. Because no field emission occurs at this voltage, the test voltage should produce no current flow through good (non-shorted) emitter tips. However, current will flow through emitter tips which are shorted to their respective grid electrodes. In one embodiment, the current flow vaporizes the bad emitter tips themselves. In another embodiment, the current flow thermally damages a removable link connected in series with either the shorted emitter tip or the shorted grid electrode. Alternatively, rather than disabling the shorted electrodes, the method of the invention can identify shorted electrodes by sensing which electrodes conduct current in response to the test voltage. In one embodiment, the test voltage is applied, preferably simultaneously, to all the electrode pairs in the display, causing a current flow through any shorted electrodes which is high enough to produce resistive heating which can be sensed to locate the shorted electrodes. In another embodiment, the test voltage is applied sequentially to small subsets of the electrode pairs while measuring the resulting current flow. The display can be fabricated with multiple power supply busses to facilitate applying the test voltage to selected subsets of electrode pairs.

Identifying and disabling shorted electrodes in field emission display

A filtered cathodic vacuum arc is used as a source of metal to generate a highly directional beam of metal ions having substantially larger velocity parallel to the axis of the beam (perpendicular to the surface of the target) than perpendicular to the axis of the beam. This ion beam, with energies ranging up to 80 eV, is used to deposit metal into the bottom of high aspect (typically greater than 3 to 1) openings, for example, to deposit titanium in the bottom of deep contact holes in semiconductor devices or to deposit molybdenum to form tips for emitters for a field emission display. Gases can be introduced into the vacuum deposition chamber during deposition to change the nature of the deposit. The substrate or target bias can be adjusted to control the deposition rate.

Fabrication of field emission array with filtered vacuum cathodic arc

Methods and apparatus for identifying and disabling shorted electrode pain (such as field emitter tip electrodes shorted to grid electrodes) in a field emission display by applying a test voltage across the two electrodes in each pair. The magnitude of the test voltage is set below the voltage required to initiate field emission from the emitter tip electrode. Because no field emission occurs at this voltage, the test voltage should produce no current flow through good (non-shorted) emitter tips. However, current will flow through emitter tips which are shorted to their respective grid electrodes. In one embodiment, the current flow vaporizes the bad emitter tips themselves. In another embodiment, the current flow thermally damages a removable link connected in series with either the shorted emitter tip or the shorted grid electrode. Alternatively, rather than disabling the shorted electrodes, the method of the invention can be used to merely identify shorted electrodes by sensing which electrodes conduct current in response to the test voltage. In one embodiment, the test voltage is applied, preferably simultaneously, to all the electrode pairs in the display, causing a current flow through any shorted electrodes which is high enough to produce resistive heating which can be sensed to locate the shorted electrodes. In another embodiment, the test voltage is applied sequentially to small subsets of the electrode pairs while measuring the resulting current flow. The display can be fabricated with multiple power supply busses to facilitate applying the test voltage to selected subsets of electrode pairs.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Jimmy J Browning