Edge emission electron source and TFT pixel selection
The present invention relates to a display device that employs edge emitters as a source for pixel electrons. The edge emitters allow the viewing glass plate to be made very small or eliminated, thereby substantially reducing the size of or eliminating the spacers typically utilized in conventional display devices and thereby enabling a simple and compact assembly structure. In one embodiment a pixel configuration comprises a phosphor area disposed between a plurality edge emitters, each of which are associated with tynes that are adapted to reduce the distance between the emitters and that separate the phosphor area into segments such that the emitters emit electrons when the voltage between a phosphor segment and the an emitter exceed a threshold voltage to cause the phosphor segment to emit light.
1. A flat panel display comprising:
a plurality of electrically addressable pixels;
a plurality of thin-film transistor (TFT) driver circuits each being electrically coupled to an associated one of said pixels;
a plurality of substantially perpendicular walls surrounding each of said pixels, said walls being of an insulating material;
a conductive layer positioned on top of at least one of said substantially perpendicular walls, said conductive layer being of a comparable size to said walls; and one or more edge emitters associated with each of said pixels, positioned on top of the conductive layer, wherein each of said edge emitters includes a plurality of substantially parallel elongated portions extending over a portion of said associated pixel;
wherein, exciting said edge emitters, through said conductive layer, and addressing associated ones of said pixels using said associated driver circuits causes said edge emitters to emit electrons that induce corresponding ones of said pixels to emit light.
2. The display of claim 1 , wherein said electrically addressable pixels each include a phosphor capable of generating light.
3. The display of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate supporting said pixels, TFT driver circuits, and emitters.
4. The display of claim 3 , further comprising a transparent viewing glass substrate oppositely disposed from said substrate supporting said pixels, driver circuits and emitters wherein said viewing substrate passes the pixel emitter light.
5. The display of claim 4 , further comprising one or more spacers disposed between the viewing glass substrate and the emitters.
6. The display of claim 5 , wherein the one or more spacers comprise an insulator having a thickness of less than about thirty micrometers.
7. A flat panel display comprising:
a plurality of electrically addressable pixels;
a plurality of thin-film transistor (TFT) driver circuits each being electrically coupled to an associated at least one of said pixels, respectively;
a plurality of substantially perpendicular walls surrounding each of said pixels, said walls being of an insulating material;
a conductive layer positioned on top of at least one of said substantially perpendicular walls, said conductive layer being of a comparable size to said walls; and
a plurality of edge emitters, positioned on said conductive layer, wherein each pixel of said a plurality of pixels is interposed between oppositely disposed edge emitters, and at least some of said edge emitters comprise a plurality of substantially parallel elongate portions extending over a portion of at least one pixel; and
wherein, exciting said edge emitters, through said conductive layer, and addressing ones of said pixels using said associated driver circuits causes said edge emitters to emit electrons that induce corresponding ones of said pixels to emit light.
8. The display of claim 7 , further comprising a second substrate oppositely disposed from said substrate, wherein said second substrate is transparent and said light is emitted through said second substrate.
9. The display of claim 7 wherein each of said elongated portions comprises a low work function material.
10. The display of claim 7 , wherein each of said edge emitters comprises a layer of molybdenum.
11. The display of claim 7 , wherein each of said edge emitters comprises a layer of carbon over said layer of molybdenum.
12. The display of claim 7 wherein each of said elongated portions is an emitter bus.
13. The display of claim 1 wherein each of said elongated portions comprises a low work function material.
14. The display of claim 1 wherein each of said edge emitters is a cold source of electrons.
15. The display of clam 2 further comprising a reflector associated with each of said pixels, said phosphor being positioned between said edge emitters and said reflector.
16. The display of claim 1 , wherein each of said edge emitters comprises a layer of molybdenum.
17. The display of claim 16 wherein each of said edge emitters comprises a layer of carbon over said layer of molybdenum.
18. The display of claim 1 wherein each of said elongated portions is an emitter bus.