Thermionic optical emission device

Abstract

A thermionic optical emission device employs a two dimensional array of thermionic elements to excite a display material, such as a phosphor coating, thus producing the image viewed by an observer. Each pixel of the desired display corresponds to the electron emissions of thermionic elements. Each pixel may correspond to less than 1 or more than 1000 thermionic elements. In color displays, each pixel of the desired display includes an area of red phosphor, blue phosphor, and green phosphor. Each of the thermionic elements included in the thermionic optical emission device includes a substrate, a conductive material formed on the substrate and forming electrically isolated segments, a cathode formed adjacent to the conductive material and electrically coupling the isolated segments and emitting electrons when heated, a void adjacent the cathode to reduce heat dissipation, a luminescent material disposed on a screen to receive and react to electrons emitted by the cathode and thereby produce an optical emission, and a vacuum separating the cathode and the luminescent material. The thermionic optical emission device can be embodied as a diode, triode, or higher electrode device.