Gas desorption from FEA-phosphor screen pairs

Gas desorption from a field emitter array (FEA) cathode and phosphor screen anode in a flat panel display must be controlled so that outgassing products produced during display operation do not change cathode electron emission and degrade display performance and uniformity. In order to help understand such desorption processes and to help define pumping requirements in FEA displays, we have determined the major species outgassing from two phosphor screen-FEA cathode systems. The screens were made from YAG:Cr and ZnGa/sub 2/O/sub 4/, candidate materials for use as low voltage phosphors. The YAG:Cr phosphor screen has spectral output primarily in the red, the ZnGa/sub 2/O/sub 4/, in the blue. Outgassing products were measured outside the line-of-sight of both the FEA and phosphor screens. Therefore, if the FEA-screen pairs studied were in a flat panel display, the products detected would be those pumped by appendage pumps mounted on the flat panel. In the current study, we do not measure the source of the products (FEA or screen).