A stable under-gate triode CNT field emitter fabricated via screen printing

A screen printed. under-gate triode with carbon nanotube field emitters is demonstrated. The geometry of the device allows it to be matrix addressable. Fabrication methods including CVD deposition of dielectric and/or nanotubes, wet etching, and photolithography are eliminated by the use of screen printing, effectively lowering the cost of manufacture of the device. Through the use of a charge dissipation layer the emission current is greatly enhanced, and instabilities which plagued previous under-gate devices are eliminated. When a square Pulse of 30 mu s is applied at a rate of 120 Hz emission currents of >4 mu A/cm(2) are achieved for gate voltages of < 300 V without any ungated emission. This structure is a prime candidate to be used in a field emission backlight unit (BLU) for an LCD due to its reduced cost of manufacture, stable operation, and local delivery Of Pulsed light. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.