Active-Matrix Field Emission Display with Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Transistors and Mo-Tip Field Emitter Arrays

We present, for the first time, a prototype active-matrix field emission display (AMFED) in which an amorphous silicon thin-film transistor (a-Si TFT) and a molybdenum-tip field emitter array (Mo-tip FEA) were monolithically integrated on a glass substrate for a novel active-matrix cathode (AMC) plate. The fabricated AMFED showed good display images with a low-voltage scan and data signals irrespective of a high voltage for field emissions. We introduced a light shield layer of metal into our AMC to reduce the photo leakage and back channel currents of the a-Si TFT. We designed the light shield to act as a focusing grid to focus emitted electron beams from the AMC onto the corresponding anode pixel. The thin film depositions in the a-Si TFTs were performed at a high temperature of above 360°C to guarantee the vacuum packaging of the AMC and anode plates. We also developed a novel wet etching process for $n^+-doped$ a-Si etching with high etch selectivity to intrinsic a-Si and used it in the fabrication of an inverted stagger TFT with a very thin active layer. The developed a-Si TFTs performed well enough to be used as control devices for AMCs. The gate bias of the a-Si TFTs well controlled the field emission currents of the AMC plates. The AMFED with these AMC plates showed low-voltage matrix addressing, good stability and reliability of field emission, and good light emissions from the anode plate with phosphors.