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WO1996002063A1 - Structures d'emetteurs de champ en forme de crateres saillants - Google Patents

Structures d'emetteurs de champ en forme de crateres saillants Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1996002063A1
WO1996002063A1 PCT/US1995/008618 US9508618W WO9602063A1 WO 1996002063 A1 WO1996002063 A1 WO 1996002063A1 US 9508618 W US9508618 W US 9508618W WO 9602063 A1 WO9602063 A1 WO 9602063A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
region
substrate
conductive
emitter
layer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1995/008618
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Heinz H. Busta
Jay E. Pogemiller
Original Assignee
Amoco Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Amoco Corporation filed Critical Amoco Corporation
Publication of WO1996002063A1 publication Critical patent/WO1996002063A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J1/00—Details of electrodes, of magnetic control means, of screens, or of the mounting or spacing thereof, common to two or more basic types of discharge tubes or lamps
    • H01J1/02—Main electrodes
    • H01J1/30—Cold cathodes, e.g. field-emissive cathode
    • H01J1/304—Field-emissive cathodes
    • H01J1/3042—Field-emissive cathodes microengineered, e.g. Spindt-type

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to field emitter devices, and more particularly to field emitters devices of the vertical type.
  • Field emitter devices of the vertical type have generally used conically-shaped field emitters.
  • the emission of conically-shaped field emitters depends strongly on the radii of the emitters. Emission currents can change by an order of magnitude with variation of radii by only 10 angstroms. To obtain uniform emission within an array of such emitters, it is thus crucial to control the radii within a very narrow window. This is hard to achieve for even modest size arrays of up to several thousand emitters and almost impossible for macroelectronic devices such as flat panel displays.
  • An alternate structure is the thin film emitter in which the thickness of the film determines the effective emission "radius". Emission sites are statistically distributed along the edges of the emitter films.
  • a typical example is a lateral, comb-shaped emitter. This structure is best suited for devices that have the collector situated on the same substrate as the emitters.
  • the collector For applications in which the collector must be situated on a separate substrate, such as when the collector comprises a phosphor-coated screen of a flat panel display, it is desirable that the electrons emit perpendicular to the substrate surface. Conventional lateral emitters are not suitable for this purpose.
  • a vertical field emitter device By folding a lateral, thin film emitter into a "volcano" structure, a vertical field emitter device can be fabricated that has the favorable emission characteristics of lateral devices.
  • the devices may be gated and ungated.
  • the emitters, and gates, if- included, have generally annular structures.
  • the volcano-shaped field emitters may be fabricated on a variety of substrates, including semiconductors and glass.
  • Figures 1 through 3 show consecutive processing steps for fabricating an ungated volcano-shaped field emitter structure according to the invention.
  • Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an ungated volcano-shaped field emitter structure according to the invention.
  • Figures 5 and 6 show additional consecutive processing steps for fabricating a gated volcano-shaped field emitter structure according to the invention.
  • Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a gated volcano-shaped field emitter structure according to the invention.
  • Figures 8 through 10 show processing steps for fabrication of a high- resistance volcano-shaped emitter structure.
  • Figures 11 through 13 show processing steps for fabrication of a volcano-shaped emitter structure on a semiconductor substrate.
  • Figures 1 through 3 show the steps of fabrication for a volcano-shaped emitter according to the invention on a glass substrate.
  • at least one island 2 of a layer of photoresist spun onto a supporting surface of a gla ⁇ s substrate 4 is defined by photolithography.
  • the island 2 is typically 10 to 50 micrometers in diameter.
  • the substrate 4 is etched, such as in buffered HF, to form a plateau-shaped region 6 that is registered with the island 2.
  • the plateau-shaped region 6 is typically 4 to 6 micrometers in height.
  • the photoresist island 2 is then removed and a conductive layer 8, such as chromium, is deposited onto the supporting surface of the substrate 4, such as by electron beam evaporation or sputtering.
  • the conductive layer 8 typically has a thickness of about 0.15 micrometers.
  • a photoresist layer 10 is spun over the supporting surface of the substrate 4 to cover all of the layer 8 except for the protrusion caused by the plateau region 6. This is controlled by appropriate resist composition and spin speed.
  • the conductive layer 8 is then etched and the photoresist layer 10 is removed to form a generally annular ungated volcano-shaped emitter structure 12, as shown in Figure 3.
  • An array of volcano-shaped emitter structures may be formed on the substrate 4 with appropriate patterning of the conductive layer 8 to form, for instance, a row or area of such emitters 12 on the substrate 4, as shown in Figure 4.
  • a gated field emitter structure is generally preferred for control and addressing purposes.
  • Figures 5 and 6 are directed to additional processing steps for forming gated emitter structures. Referring to Figure 5, an insulating layer 14, such as Si0 2 , is sputtered over a supporting surface of the substrate 4. Then another conductive layer 16, such as chromium, is deposited over the substrate 4 in a similar manner to the conductive layer 8 described above.
  • a photoresist layer 18 is then spun onto the supporting surface of the substrate 4 to cover all of the area of the conductive layer 16 except for the protrusion caused by the plateau region 6, in a similar manner to the photoresist layer 10 described above.
  • the conductive layer 16 is then etched and the photoresist layer 18 is removed to form a generally annular gated volcano-shaped emitter structure 20, as shown in Figure 6.
  • the conductive layer 16 may be patterned to form a column or area of such gated emitters 20 on the substrate 4.
  • the gated volcano-shaped emitter structure 20 may be operated using either the inner volcano as the emitter and the outer volcano as the gate, or the inner volcano as the gate and the outer volcano as the emitter. The choice is dependent upon emission characteristics of the device and design requirements. It should be noted that either, or both of the conductive layers 8 and 16 may comprise deposited diamond films to secure better emission characteristics, more chemical inertness and higher heat conductivity.
  • non-uniform, localized emission may occur with the embodiment of the invention described above.
  • Such non-uniform emission is suppressed with a high-resistance emitter structure.
  • the fabrication of this structure is generally shown in Figures 8 through 11.
  • a layer of photoresist is spun onto a supporting surface of the glass substrate 4 and at least one photoresist island 2 is defined on a surface of the substrate 4 by photolithography, just as described above with respect to Figure 1.
  • the surface of the substrate 4 that supports the photoresist island 2 is etched, just as described with respect to Figure 1, to form the corresponding plateau region 6.
  • the photoresist island is not then stripped from the supporting surface of the substrate 4. Instead, a conductive layer 22, such as a layer of chromium, is deposited onto the supporting surface of the substrate 4. Since the etching process of the substrate 4 is isotropic, the photoresist island 2 extends over a wider area than that of the plateau region 6, thus shielding the sides of the plateau region structure from the conductive layer 22.
  • a conductive layer 22 such as a layer of chromium
  • the photoresist island 2 is then stripped from the supporting surface of the substrate 4 and a high-resistance layer 24, such as a cermet film, is deposited over the supporting surface of the substrate 4.
  • a photoresist layer 26 is then spun over the supporting surface of the substrate 4 to cover all of the high-resistance layer 24 except for the protrusion caused by the plateau region 6, in a similar manner to the photoresist layer 10 described above.
  • the exposed regions of the high resistance layer 24 are etched away and the photoresist layer 26 is stripped to form a generally annular ungated high- resistance emitter structure 28, as shown in Figure 10.
  • a gated high- resistance emitter structure may be fabricated with the additional processing steps described above with respect to Figures 5 and 6.
  • Such volcano-shaped emitter structures may also be fabricated on a semiconductor substrate, such as silicon, with similar processing steps as shown in Figures 11 through 13.
  • a layer of photoresist is spun onto a semiconductor substrate 30 and at least one photoresist island 2 is defined on a surface of the substrate 30 by photolithography, just as described above with respect to Figure 1.
  • the surface of the substrate 30 that supports the photoresist island 2 is etched, just as described with respect to Figure 1, to form the corresponding plateau region 6.
  • the photoresist island 2 is then stripped, and an oxide layer 32 is formed on the supporting surface of the substrate 30.
  • the substrate is silicon
  • a conductive layer 34 such as chromium, is then deposited over the supporting surface of the substrate 30 to cover the oxide layer 32, in a similar manner to the deposition of the conductive layer 8 described above in connection with Figure 2.
  • a photoresist layer 36 is then spun onto the supporting surface of the substrate 30 to cover all of the area of the conductive layer 34 except for the protrusion caused by the plateau region 6, in a similar manner to the photoresist layer 10 described above in connection with Figure 2.
  • the exposed regions of conductive layer 24 and the underlying oxide layer 32 are etched away and the photoresist layer 26 is stripped to form a generally annular gated volcano-shaped emitter structure 38, as shown in Figure 13.
  • volcano-shaped emitter structures may be formed on an insulating substrate that is coated with a semiconductor material in a similar manner as described above in connection with Figures 11 through 13.
  • the emitter substrate may comprise a glass insulating base coated with silicon, or some other semiconductor material.
  • the serr.iconductor film is substituted for the semiconductor substrate 30 in the fabrication steps described above.
  • volcano-shaped emitter structures may be fabricated on a variety of other coated substrates, such as a diamond coated glass substrate.
  • the steps for fabricating such volcano-shaped emitters on a diamond film that has been deposited on a glass substrate are shown in Figures 14 through 16.
  • a conductive layer 40 in this case, a diamond film, is deposited on a supporting surface of a glass substrate 4 .
  • the thickness of this layer is typically in the range of four to six micrometers.
  • a layer of photoresist is spun onto the supporting surface of the
  • ⁇ substrate 42 to cover the conductive layer 40 and at least one photoresist island 2 is defined on the surface of the conductive layer 40 by photolithography, just as described above with respect to Figure 1.
  • the surface of the conductive layer 42 is etched, just as described with respect to Figure 1, to form the corresponding plateau region 6.
  • the photoresist island 2 is then stripped, and an oxide layer 44 is formed over the supporting surface of the substrate 42 to cover the etched conductive layer 40.
  • This oxide layer is typically silicon dioxide, grown to a thickness of approximately one micrometer.
  • a conductive layer 46, such as chromium, is then deposited over the supporting surface of the substrate 42 to cover the oxide layer 44, in a similar manner to the deposition of the conductive layer 8 described above in connection with Figure 2.
  • a photoresist layer 48 is then spun onto the supporting surface of the substrate 42 to cover all of the area of the conductive layer 46 except for the protrusion caused by the plateau region 6, in a similar manner to the photoresist layer 10 described above in connection with Figure 2.
  • the exposed regions of conductive layer 46 and the underlying oxide layer 44 are etched away and the photoresist layer 48 is stripped to form a generally annular gated volcano-shaped emitter structure 50, as shown in Figure 16.

Landscapes

  • Cold Cathode And The Manufacture (AREA)

Abstract

Un générateur de champ vertical présente des structures (12) de portes et d'émetteurs, sensiblement annulaires, en forme de cratères saillants.
PCT/US1995/008618 1994-07-12 1995-07-11 Structures d'emetteurs de champ en forme de crateres saillants WO1996002063A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US27365994A 1994-07-12 1994-07-12
US08/273,659 1994-07-12

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1996002063A1 true WO1996002063A1 (fr) 1996-01-25

Family

ID=23044876

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1995/008618 WO1996002063A1 (fr) 1994-07-12 1995-07-11 Structures d'emetteurs de champ en forme de crateres saillants

Country Status (1)

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WO (1) WO1996002063A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6097139A (en) * 1995-08-04 2000-08-01 Printable Field Emitters Limited Field electron emission materials and devices

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3894332A (en) * 1972-02-11 1975-07-15 Westinghouse Electric Corp Solid state radiation sensitive field electron emitter and methods of fabrication thereof
US4874981A (en) * 1988-05-10 1989-10-17 Sri International Automatically focusing field emission electrode
US5199917A (en) * 1991-12-09 1993-04-06 Cornell Research Foundation, Inc. Silicon tip field emission cathode arrays and fabrication thereof
US5319279A (en) * 1991-03-13 1994-06-07 Sony Corporation Array of field emission cathodes
US5341063A (en) * 1991-11-07 1994-08-23 Microelectronics And Computer Technology Corporation Field emitter with diamond emission tips

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3894332A (en) * 1972-02-11 1975-07-15 Westinghouse Electric Corp Solid state radiation sensitive field electron emitter and methods of fabrication thereof
US4874981A (en) * 1988-05-10 1989-10-17 Sri International Automatically focusing field emission electrode
US5319279A (en) * 1991-03-13 1994-06-07 Sony Corporation Array of field emission cathodes
US5341063A (en) * 1991-11-07 1994-08-23 Microelectronics And Computer Technology Corporation Field emitter with diamond emission tips
US5199917A (en) * 1991-12-09 1993-04-06 Cornell Research Foundation, Inc. Silicon tip field emission cathode arrays and fabrication thereof

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
SOKOLICH et al., "Field Emission from Submicron Emitter Arrays", IEDM, 1990, pages 159-162. *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6097139A (en) * 1995-08-04 2000-08-01 Printable Field Emitters Limited Field electron emission materials and devices

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