US5675216A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Amorphic diamond film flat field emission cathode
Assignee: Applied Nanotech Holdings Inc
•
Filing: 1995-06-07
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Granted: 1997-10-07
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Expires: 2015-06-07
Abstract
Abstract A field emission cathode for use in flat panel displays is disclosed comprising a layer of conductive material and a layer of amorphic diamond film, functioning as a low effective work-function material, deposited over the conductive material to form emission sites. The emission sites each contain at least two sub-regions having differing electron affinities. Use of the cathode to form a computer screen is also disclosed along with the use of the cathode to form a fluorescent light source.
Inventors
- 👤 Nalin Kumar
- 👤 Chenggang Xie
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 22:16
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J1/00; H01J1/02; H01J1/30; H01J1/304; H01J1/3042; H01J31/00; H01J31/08; H01J31/10; H01J31/12; H01J31/123; H01J31/125; H01J31/127; H01J61/00; H01J61/02; H01J61/04; H01J61/06; H01J61/067; H01J61/0675; H01J61/0677; H01J63/00; H01J63/06; H01J9/00; H01J9/02; H01J9/022; H01J9/027; H01J2201/00; H01J2201/30; H01J2201/304; H01J2201/30403; H01J2201/30426; H01J2201/30446; H01J2201/30453; H01J2201/30457; H01J2329/00; H01J2329/86; H01J2329/8625
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conducting material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having a relatively flat emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein said emission surface is greater than 20,106.19 square nanometers in area.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conducting material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having a relatively flat emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein said emission surface is greater than 20,106.19 square nanometers in area.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said emission sites at said emission surface are relatively flat.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said sites have at least two different electron affinities.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein each said site is under one micron in diameter and greater than 160 nanometers in diameter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method of operating a cathode, according to claim 1 comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conducting material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having a relatively flat emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein said emission sites each have a plurality of different bonding structures.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as recited in claim 5 wherein at least one of said bonding structures is SP 3 .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said emission sites contain dopants of an element different from said low effective work-function material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said emission sites each contain dopant atoms.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said dopant atoms are carbon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
A method of operating a cathode, according to claim 1 comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein each said emission site contains boundaries between different crystalline structures.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said boundaries are points.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said boundaries are lines.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said boundaries are dislocations.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method of operating a cathode, according to claim 1 comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein said emission sites each have electrical properties which are discontinuous from each other.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein some of said low effective work function material is amorphic diamond.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
70 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein some of said low effective work function material is amorphic diamond.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein some of said low effective work-function material is amorphic diamond and said amorphic diamond is comprised of SP 2 and SP 3 crystallites.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
80 words
A method of operating a cathode, comprising the steps of: causing an electrical current to flow through a layer of conductive material; and directing said current through a layer of low work-function material deposited over said conductive material, said low effective work-function material having an emission surface comprising a plurality of distributed localized electron emission sites, wherein some of said low effective work-function material is amorphic diamond and said amorphic diamond is comprised of SP 2 and SP 3 crystallites.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-10-06 | 2001-04-07 | 2001-10-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-10-06 | 2005-04-07 | 2005-10-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-10-06 | 2009-04-07 | 2009-10-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |