Improved image uniformity in light sources with carbon field emitters

Recently, large-area carbon-based field emission (FE) cathodes have been demonstrated as viable candidates for vacuum electronics applications such as light sources, LCD backlights and pictorial indicators. Light sources shaped as electric bulbs and CRTs as well as planar lighting elements using carbon-based fibers, films or nanotubes have been successfully introduced. We present here two independent uniformity-enhancing solutions. The first is through the use of a new field-emissive material-reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foam. A second uniformity-enhancing solution we present is the use of low-loss external Holographic Light Shaping Diffusers which enable uniform re-distribution of the scattered light coming from the field emission CL source.