Patent ID: 7521851
Filing Date: 2009-04-21
Classification: B82Y,H01J

Abstract:
1. An electron source comprising: a substrate; a cathode disposed over the substrate, the cathode being operable to provide a source of electrons; an emitter layer disposed over the cathode and formed from a composition of an embedding material and one or a plurality of nano-structures embedded therein, said composition including interfaces between said nano-structures and said embedding material, the emitter layer having a surface at which ends of the nano-structures are truncated, said ends of the nano-structures and said interfaces being exposed to emit electrons; an insulator disposed over the emitter layer, the insulator having one or a plurality of apertures for exposing said ends and said interfaces; and a gate electrode disposed over the insulator and having one or a plurality of apertures that are aligned with the apertures in the insulator, the gate electrode being operable to control the emission of electrons through the apertures from the exposed nano-structures at the interfaces, a vacuum space present between the gate electrode and the surface of the emitter layer; wherein the nano-structures are selected from the group consisting of nano-wire, nano-tube, nano-plane, nano-fiber, nano-cone, and non-diamond nano-particles; and wherein the exposed end of the nano-structure and the interface are slightly recessed from the surface of the emitter layer.