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.
利用离子轰击技术在印有碳浆的厚膜表面产生电子发射微观特征。这项技术有可能实现大面积场发射显示器的开发。利用显微镜和电子场发射实验进行的系统研究表明,浆料配方、离子处理参数和表面微结构的发展之间存在密切联系。这些研究还有助于了解离子轰击下微结构形成的基本原理以及碳基发射器的场发射特性。我们还测试了几种旨在实现低压可切换三极管的器件概念,并取得了不同程度的成功。在本文中,我们讨论了与材料、工艺和器件有关的各种技术问题。