Sung Youb Han

US Patent:

58578820, Jan 12, 1999

Filed:

Feb 27, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/607532

Inventors:

Lawrence S. Pam - Pleasanton CA
Thomas E. Felter - Livermore CA
Alec Talin - Livermore CA
Douglas Ohlberg - Mountain View CA
Ciaran Fox - Stanford CA
Sung Han - Pojoaque NM

Assignee:

Sandia Corporation

International Classification:

H01J 944

US Classification:

445 6

Abstract:

This method produces a field emitter material having a uniform electron emitting surface and a low turn-on voltage. Field emitter materials having uniform electron emitting surfaces as large as 1 square meter and turn-on voltages as low as 16V/. mu. m can be produced from films of electron emitting materials such as polycrystalline diamond, diamond-like carbon, graphite and amorphous carbon by the method of the present invention. The process involves conditioning the surface of a field emitter material by applying an electric field to the surface, preferably by scanning the surface of the field emitter material with an electrode maintained at a fixed distance of at least 3. mu. m above the surface of the field emitter material and at a voltage of at least 500V. In order to enhance the uniformity of electron emission the step of conditioning can be preceeded by ion implanting carbon, nitrogen, argon, oxygen or hydrogen into the surface layers of the field emitter material.