Plasma processing for field emission displays

Summary form only given, as follows. SIDT has developed a revolutionary flat cathode diamond field emitter display (DFED) technology, where the micro-tip cathode is replaced with a simple, thin film field emitter with a very low effective work function. In this manner, the need for micron-size lithography is eliminated and the manufacturability and scalability of the display technology is assured. This DFED technology is based on a proprietary flat broad area cathode made from laser deposited carbon thin films generally known by the trade name of amorphic diamond/sup TM/ (AD/sup TM/) coatings. We have recently demonstrated the feasibility of this technology by building a 5 inch diagonal matrix addressed monochrome DFED panel. In this paper the various DFED fabrication related plasma processing technologies and their requirements will be described. In particular, the cathode and anode requirements for scaling DFED technology and our results will be discussed. In addition, the fabrication approaches for different types of field emission displays will be compared with special emphasis on plasma related steps.