Wedge-shaped field emitter arrays for flat display

The authors have investigated a field emitter for flat displays which can be precisely fabricated in a large area with simple processes. The authors discuss the simulation and the experimental results of the new type of field emitter. A wedge-shaped field emitter is constructed of an emitter and a gate on an insulating substrate. The emitter and the gate have a wedge shape in plane and are placed meeting each other with a narrow gap between them. The emitter is formed by a 500-nm-thick Mo film deposited on an Al stripe electrode layer and the gate electrode is a 200-nm-thick Cr film on a SiO₂ layer with a thickness nearly the same as that of the Mo film. The electron emission began at about 50 V which is markedly lower than in other types of field emitters and the emission current obtained was 12 μA at 85 V