39.4: Large Size FED with Carbon Nanotube Emitter

Abstract

Abstract High‐luminance triode‐structure field‐emission‐display (FED) panel using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as emitters was first presented in 1999.[1,2] The demonstrated panel showed a good legibility and excellent luminance. After that, the emission stability in ambient gas was evaluated, and reported in 2000.[3] The toughness against ambient gas suggested that CNT FED would be applicable for a large size display panel. But, the experimental panel revealed the lack of luminous uniformity for actual displays. In IDRC'00, the emission uniformity was performed by the round edge smooth‐surface cathode which was formed by CNT‐network structure.[4] But, the luminous uniformity of large size full‐dot‐matrix display area was not satisfied by the distortion of line‐grid electrodes. In IDRC'01, we proposed an improved structure to realize an uniform luminance all over the large display area. The results revealed that the new‐structure improved the luminous uniformity with high‐luminance. A 14.5 inch x‐y addressed color panel with CNT field‐emitters was performed by the new technology. In this paper, we realized a large size CNT‐FED panel. The display area was ca.40‐inches. The 40‐inch‐panel was realized by the CNT emitter and new structures for manufacturing. The experimental panel revealed the CNT‐FED should be suitable for large size displays. The characteristics were discussed.