Field-emitter array development for field-emission displays

In this paper we report recent results from an ongoing program designed to develop a fundamental understanding of the effects of materials, vacuum deposition parameters, and post fabrication processing on the performance of field-emitter arrays for displays. Molybdenum and silicon have been the materials of choice for first generation displays, and have produced acceptable results for the first trials. However, investigations of other emitter materials such as diamond-like-carbon (DLC) and zirconium carbide (ZrC) have produced intriguing improvements in emission performance. In addition in situ processes such as coating of molybdenum and silicon emitters with alternate materials and aggressive emitter-surface cleaning processes such as hydrogen-plasma cleaning and emission-stimulated desorption by high-current pulses, have also been shown to be beneficial. It has also been shown that when using the Spindt emitter fabrication process the emitter cone can be tailored to a preferred shape by appropriate materials selection and manipulation of the emitter deposition parameters. Finally, it is shown that the details of the emitter tip shape can have an impact on the performance of the emitter due to the dynamics of temperature and field-induced surface diffusion during cathode operation. Emitter tips of the same material, operated in the same environment and at the same emission levels can behave very differently depending on the details of the emitter-tip geometry.