Ion bombardment was used to produce electron-emitting microscale features on surfaces of thick films printed with carbon pastes. This technology can potentially enable the development of large-area field emission displays. Systematic investigations using microscopy and electron field emission experiments have demonstrated a close link among paste formulation, ion processing parameters, and the development of surface microstructures. These investigations were also useful in understanding the fundamentals of microstructure formation under ion bombardment and the field emission characteristics of the carbon-based emitters. Several device concepts aimed toward achieving a low-voltage switchable triode were also tested with varying degrees of success. In this paper, we discuss various technological issues related to the materials, processes, and devices.
The synthesis of lithium tantalate films by a chemical solution deposition method was studied. A precursor solution was prepared by dissolving lithium ethoxide and tantalum pentaethoxide in ethanol. The addition of formic acid to this precursor solution was very effective in the preparation of homogeneous and transparent precursor films on substrates by spin coating. Lithium tantalate films crystallized on sapphire (001) substrates with a highly preferred orientation along the