Abstract:
A display is arranged in rows and columns with a current source for each column instead of a current source in each display cell. By omitting the current source from the cell, smaller display cell geometries are achieved. In a display where one row is selected at a time, the display of the present invention with smaller circuitry achieves performance identical to the prior art. Application is made to flat panel displays generally including field emission displays, liquid crystal displays, and integrated light emitting diode array displays.

Description:
This invention was made with Government support under Contract no. DABT63-93-C-0025 awarded by Advanced Research Projects Agency (&#34;ARPA&#34;). The Government has certain rights in this invention. 
    
    
     This application is continuation of application Ser. No. 08/138,538 filed Oct. 15, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/077,181 filed Jun. 15, 1993 by Glen Hush for &#34;Active Matrix Field Emission Display Having Peripheral Regulation of Tip Current&#34;, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,218, and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/011,927 filed Feb. 1, 1993 by John K. Lee et al. for &#34;Current-Regulated Field Emission Cathodes for Use in a Flat Panel Display in Which Low-Voltage Row and Column Address Signals Control a Much Higher Pixel Activation Voltage&#34;, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,172. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to high density addressable matrix displays and particularly to matrix displays formed on an integrated circuit substrate. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As one example of a high density display, consider a field emission display including a phosphor display panel and an array of perhaps thousands of pixelators, each pixelator directed to excite a small region of the display panel. The region excited by one pixelator is called a &#34;pixel&#34; from the contraction of the words picture element. Excitation is generally accomplished by a beam of electrons radiated from a sharp tip structure within the pixelator. Current for the electron beam is supplied to the pixelator as a drive signal from a current source. 
     The conventional pixelator includes a tip, a current source in series with the tip for providing current for the electron beam, and one or more switches between the source and the tip for enabling the pixelator. In a conventional field emission display, each pixelator can be independently enabled since each has an independent current source. By co-locating the independent current source and the tip, quick pixelator response times are possible because interconnect capacitance between the current source and the tip is minimal. 
     In addition to quick response time, improved display resolution is highly desirable. Due to the one-to-one spacial relationship between pixelators and displayed pixels, decreased pixel size dictates decreased pixelator size. The size of the conventional pixelator is dominated by the size of the current source made necessary for quick response times. 
     The difficulties described above with respect to field emission displays find parallels in other display technologies. Conductors used to distribute the drive signal occupy space and so limit the resolution of matrix displays having an array of rows and columns of cells. Matrix display cells include field emission cells, liquid crystal display elements, light modulators, and light emitting cells. 
     In view of the problems described above and related problems that consequently become apparent to those skilled in the applicable arts, the need remains in high density display technologies for low cost displays of increased resolution. Such displays would find application in laptop computers having monochrome or color displays, image display and monitoring systems, instrumentation, consumer equipment, measurement apparatus, and similar applications including battery powered portable equipment requiring an information or graphic display. Conventional high density displays for these applications are expensive due to factors related to pixelator size and complexity. Complex pixelator design directly increases die size, decreases manufacturing yield, and decreases system reliability. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, a high density display in one embodiment of the present invention is responsive to a row signal and a column signal for displaying a pixel. The display includes an array of display cells formed on a substrate, a supply for providing display current to a plurality of cells, and a predetermined cell of the array that has been enabled for displaying a pixel. The array is arranged to form at least one row and at least one column, the row and column intersecting at the predetermined cell. The supply provides a current to a plurality of cells of one column. The predetermined cell is enabled for displaying the pixel by receiving the row signal, the column signal, and a portion of the display current. 
     According to a first aspect of such a display, the display cell does not include a current source. By eliminating the current source from each display cell, the display cell is made smaller, the pixel becomes smaller, and more display cells can be fabricated per unit area. With more display cells per unit area, display resolution is increased. 
     According to another aspect of such a display, a current source serves the current supply requirements of an entire column of display cells. Fewer current sources are needed for a complete display so the overall die size is smaller than the conventional display. Smaller die size allows more die per wafer. Consequently, displays are produced at lower cost. 
     According to another aspect of such a display, by serving a number of display cells from a common current source, the complexity of each display cell is reduced. Reducing complexity increases manufacturing yield and increases display reliability. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, a field emission display is formed on a semiconductor substrate. The display includes an array of cells arranged in a plurality of intersecting rows and columns, means for identifying a cell at a predetermined intersection, and means coupled to a bus for providing the drive signal. The predetermined intersection is defined by a selected row and a selected column. The bus couples the drive signal in parallel to a plurality of cells of the selected column. 
     According to a first aspect of such a field emission display, a more sophisticated drive signal source is feasible within the conventional die size. By omitting the individual drive signal source from each pixelator, smaller pixelators result. Die space is freed for drive signal sources arranged, for example, outside the pixelator array. Such drive signal sources can employ more sophisticated circuitry for increased functionality including controlling brightness and overcoming bus capacitance. 
     These and other embodiments, aspects, advantages, and features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description of the invention and referenced drawings or by practice of the invention. The aspects, advantages, and features of the invention are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, procedures, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a display of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a pixel circuit of the type shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a current source shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternate current source. 
     In each functional block diagram, a single line between functional blocks represents one or more signals. Signals that appear on several figures and have the same mnemonic are directly or indirectly coupled together. Signal mnemonics generally correspond to the active, asserted, logic level of the signal&#39;s function. The voltages corresponding to the logic levels of the various signals are not necessarily identical among the various signals. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a display of the present invention. Display 10 is a field emission display including an array 16 of four pixel circuits, one per pixel; row and column select circuits 14 and 30, respectively; and signal sources 12, 26, and 28. Display 10 receives row signals R0 and R1 on lines 50 and 52; and receives column signals C0 and C1 on lines 54 and 56. Row and column signals operate for selecting a pixel to illuminate. 
     The architecture of display 10 is representative of field emission displays having thousands of pixel circuits. Display 10 is of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,472 incorporated herein by reference. Display 10 includes two rows and two columns. Pixel circuits 18 and 20, being responsive to signal ROW1 on line 38 form a first row. Pixel circuits 18 and 22, being responsive to column signal COL1 on line 42 form a first column. A pixel circuit being connected to a row signal and a column signal is said to be at the intersection of a row and a column. No particular geometric relationship necessarily exists among rows and columns, though pixel circuits 18-24 are in a two dimensional orthogonal matrix for efficient packing density and consequently high display resolution. 
     Row and column signals, as received by display 10, are binary digital signals. Row select circuit 14 and column select circuit 30 cooperate as means for identifying a display cell, i.e. a pixel circuit. Row signals R0 and R1 together convey a binary row number from 0 to 3. Row select circuit 14 decodes row signals R0 and R1 and activates one of four decoded row signals, e.g. ROW1 on line 38. Array 16 shows two of the 4 addressable rows, the remaining rows omitted for clarity. Likewise, column signals C0 and C1 together convey a binary column number from 0 to 3. Column select circuit 30 decodes column signals C0 and C1 and activates one of four decoded column signals, e.g. COL1 on line 42. When the pixel corresponding to pixel circuit 18, is to be illuminated, the ROW1 and COL1 signals enable illumination. In an alternate embodiment, row and column signals are received by display 10 on a multiplexed bus. 
     Each pixel circuit 18-24 is connected to grid signal source 12 by line 32. Grid signal GRID on line 32 provides an accelerating potential on a grid structure within each pixel circuit. Those of ordinary skill in the art realize that the voltage of signal GRID depends on several design choices including the display color, brightness, and persistence; the method of addressing the display; the materials selected for the target, the tip, and the grid; the layout and intrinsic capacitance of matrix conductors; and, the dimensions and dimensional relationships among the tip, the grid, and the target. 
     Column current source 26 supplies current I1 to pixel circuits 18 and 22 of the first column of array 16. Current I1 is supplied to the emission tip of pixel circuit 18 via line 46. Line 46 forms a bus for coupling current I1 to one of a plurality of pixel circuits. Electrons from current I1 are accelerated and focussed by signal GRID to excite a small area of phosphor on a display target, not shown. Current I1 has a magnitude in the range of a few nanoamps to a few hundred nanoamps depending on the design choices listed above with regard to the voltage of signal GRID. 
     In one embodiment, source 26 supplies all pixel circuits of the column. For display 10, substantially all of current I1 flows to one pixel circuit due to the operation of select circuits 14 and 30 which activate only one selection signal at a time. 
     In an alternate embodiment, source 26 supplies a subset of pixel circuits. Each pixel circuit of the subset is part of the same column, though each pixel circuit of the subset is part of a different row. In yet another alternate embodiment, a portion of current I1 simultaneously flows to each enabled pixel circuit. 
     In still another embodiment, a column current source is coupled to supply current to more than one column and more than one pixel in a subset is enabled simultaneously by operation of alternate row and column select circuitry. If a predetermined total current is supplied to a varying number of enabled pixel circuits, the brightness of displayed pixels may also vary. 
     Display 10 is manufactured using conventional semiconductor fabrication processes including, for example, MOS and CMOS processes. All of the circuitry of display 10 is integrated on a single die. Array 16 is formed in a region of the die that geometrically corresponds to the aspect ratio and resolution of the completed display device. Such a region may be identifiable by circumscribing an imaginary contour on the surface of the die. Peripheral circuitry is then located outside the contour. For displays of the highest resolution, the layout of array 16 excludes peripheral circuitry including grid signal source 12, select circuits 14 and 30, and column current sources 26 and 28. By eliminating current sources from array 16, display 10 employs smaller pixel circuits than conventional displays, and a higher resolution display results. 
     FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a pixel circuit of the type shown in FIG. 1. Pixel circuits 18-24 of display 10 are identical to the pixel circuit shown in FIG. 2. Pixel circuit 18 includes pixelator 70 row select transistor 78, and column select transistor 80. Pixelator 70 includes emission tip 76 from which an electron beam is emitted, grid 74 for accelerating and focusing the beam. A portion of the target is shown as phosphor 72. 
     In the physical structure of pixel circuit 18, transistors 78-80 and tip 76 are formed in a semiconductor substrate and grid 74 is above tip 76. Phosphor 72 is part of a phosphor target located above the semiconductor substrate of display 10. 
     When signals ROW1 and COL1 are received by pixel circuit 18, transistors 78 and 80 conduct current I1 from line 46 in series to tip 76. The potential of tip 76 is maintained by proximity to grid 74 and so approximates the voltage of signal GRID on line 32. The potential on line 46 is somewhat less than the GRID voltage when transistors 78 and 80 are conducting. Current I1 is supplied from column current source 26, as described above, and from the intrinsic capacitance associated with the structure and physical layout of line 46. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of column current source 26 shown in FIG. 1. The electron flow that forms current I1 flows from ground through resistor R10 and through isolation transistor Q20. Isolation transistor Q20 conducts in response to column signal COL1. When signal COL1 is not asserted, the intrinsic capacitance on line 46 is isolated from discharging through resistor R10. By maintaining the charge on line 46, current for an electron beam from tip 76 is readily available and pixel circuit 18 can rapidly respond to being enabled by row and column signals. 
     In an alternate embodiment, transistor Q20 is omitted. In such an embodiment, response time is slower. Beneficially, however, resolution is increased and fabrication costs are decreased. Decreased circuit complexity reduces fabrication costs. 
     In another alternate embodiment, transistor 80 shown in FIG. 2 is omitted. Column selection in such an embodiment is performed by transistor Q20. When transistor Q20 is not conducting and row signal ROW1 is received, discharge of the intrinsic capacitance on line 46 may result. The advantages of increased resolution from omitting transistor 80 and thereby reducing the size of pixel circuit 18 overcome the disadvantage of slower response time for this embodiment. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an alternate current source. Current source 126 includes a voltage divider formed of transistors Q10 and Q12. The voltage divider output is connected to the gate of transistor Q16 to establish a controlled resistance in the channel of Q16. The gate operates as a control element of transistor Q16. The electron flow that forms current I1 flows from ground through transistor Q16 and through isolation transistor Q14. The operation of isolation transistor Q14 is similar to the operation of isolation transistor Q20 discussed with reference to FIG. 3. 
     The foregoing description discusses preferred embodiments of the present invention, which may be changed or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
     For example, P-channel FETs discussed above may be replaced with N-channel FETs (and vice versa) in some applications with appropriate polarity changes in controlling signals as required. Moreover, the P-channel and N-channel FETs discussed above generally represent active devices which may be replaced with bipolar or other technology active devices. 
     As another example, row and column signals and address decoders of display 10 cooperate as means for parallel writing of the display. These may be replaced with shift registers for identifying rows and columns in a regular scanning sequence. Shift registers in conjunction with clock signals received by the display cooperate as means for serially writing the display. Other serial interface architectures are equivalent including counter-decoder architectures known in serial access memory device technologies. 
     These and other changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. While for the sake of clarity and ease of description, several specific embodiments of the invention have been described; the scope of the invention is intended to be measured by the claims as set forth below. The description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the form disclosed. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent in light of the disclosure to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention applies. 
     For example, in display 10 a pixel is illuminated by direct current drive signals GRID on line 32 and I1 on bus 46. In alternate and equivalent embodiments, the equivalent of bus 46 conducts a drive signal appropriate for the illumination or absorption of energy as appropriate for the mechanism of the pixel circuit of such an embodiment. Hence, in the embodiment described in FIG. 1, column current source 26 is one embodiment of means for providing the drive signal so that an identified cell displays a pixel. In another alternate embodiment, an alternating current drive signal is supplied to a pixel circuit including a liquid crystal element. In a variation of this embodiment, the liquid crystal serves as means for light modulation, for example, as a shutter in an optical processing system. 
     The words and phrases used in the claims are intended to be broadly construed. A &#34;display&#34; refers generally to an optical element, light modulator, light emitter, light emitting diode, infrared emitting device, electromagnetic energy emitting or absorbing device, combinations thereof, and equivalents. 
     The word &#34;supply&#34; refers to a signal source, signal generator, or signal regulator, combinations thereof, and equivalents. The supply operates to form a drive signal on a bus by operating on the intrinsic capacitance of the bus so as to charge, discharge, regulate, couple, isolate, maintain, reverse, or modulate the signal conveyed by the bus. 
     A &#34;signal&#34; refers to mechanical and/or electromagnetic energy conveying information. When elements are coupled, a signal can be conveyed in any manner feasible in light of the nature of the coupling. For example, if several electrical conductors couple two elements, then the relevant signal comprises the energy on one, some, or all conductors at a given time or time period. When a physical property of a signal has a quantitative measure and the property is used by design to control or communicate information, then the signal is said to be characterized by having a &#34;value.&#34; The amplitude may be instantaneous or an average. For a binary (digital) signal, the two characteristic values are called logic levels, &#34;high&#34; and &#34;low.&#34;