Integration of field emitter array and thin-film transistor using polycrystalline silicon process technology

We present the monolithic integration of a gated polycrystalline silicon field emitter array (poly-Si FEA) and a thin-film transistor (TFT) on an insulating substrate for active-matrix field emission displays (AMFEDs). The TFT was designed to have low off-state currents even at a high drain voltage. Amorphous silicon has been used as a starting material of the poly-Si FEA for improving surface smoothness and uniformity of the tips, and the gate holes have been formed by using an etch-back process. The integrated poly-Si TFT controlled electron emissions of the poly-Si FEA actively, resulting in great improvement in the emission reliability along with a low-voltage control, below 15 V, of field emission. The developed technology has potential applications in AMFEDs on glass substrates.