Abstract: In a cathodoluminescent display device, spacer elements are used to provide rigid mechanical support between the face and back plates when the chamber of the device is evacuated so that thin face and back plates may be used even for large-screen displays. The spacer support includes a spacer plate having holes therein for passage of electrons between the anode and cathode where a predetermined small number of one or more pixel dots corresponds to and spatially overlaps one hole, thereby reducing crosstalk. Shadow-reducing electrodes are employed on the back plate and spacer members alongside the cathode to cause the path of electrons from the cathode to the anode to spread out in order to reduce shadows caused by the presence of the spacer members. Various configurations of the two or three sets of grid electrodes may be employed to improve resolution and focusing.

Abstract: A display device containing an LCD light shutter front end to modulate light transmittance and a substantially flat gas discharge back end unit containing multiple gas discharge tunnels. The back end unit contains priming means to allow fast ignition of gas discharge and control means to allow independent discharge control of each discharge tunnel. The control circuit is further simplified to allow a small number of driving signals to control a large number of discharge tunnels. This backlight structure allows color light pulses to be generated in synchronization with the scanning operation of the front end unit. The combined operation of these two units can produce color images through time sequential color mixing principle. Compact and power efficient color display panels can be produced without the use of color filter in the LCD.

Abstract: An electronic fluorescent device (EFD) is used as the back light source for a black/white LCD. Where the EFD provides red, green and blue light, the LCD displays multi-color or full-color images. The EFD includes a number of cathodes disposed in a vacuum chamber, an anode, phosphor strips near the anode, and grid electrodes for controlling the timing of the light generation and sequential color addressing. The control system may be such that the transmission rate of the LCD is proportional to the amplitude of the input signal forming an analog system; the EFD then simply provides sequential red, green and blue light pulses of constant intensity. Alternatively, selected pixels of the LCD may be addressed digitally to be either on or off, and the intensities of the red, green and blue pulses provided by the EFD are varied. In both instances, full scale gray tone monochromatic, multi-color or full-color images can be achieved.

Abstract: A scanning flat back light source for use with light valve devices such as liquid crystal displays. It is formed by an array of parallel fluorescent tubes with fluorescent layers therein. One end of each tube is provided with an electrode and the other end connected together through a transverse chamber to form a single vacuum unit. When electrical potential is applied across electrodes in two different chambers, the two chambers and the portion of the transverse chamber connecting the two chambers form a fluorescent lamp where gas discharge produces ultraviolet light that causes a fluorescent layer on the inside walls of the tubes to produce single-color or multi-color light.

Abstract: A super high resolution cold cathode fluorescent display (CFD) utilizes an anode with cathodoluminescent means, a cathode with field emission cathode group array, a glass like spacer plate structure providing an array of funnel-shaped channels. Each channel has a narrow aperture which serves as a pin hole for passage of electrons between the cathodes and anode. The display uses a circuit for generating a strong electric field between the anode and cathode in the array of channels to take advantage of the pin hole imaging effect to produce high resolution, full color images for the display.

Abstract: This invention is about new cathode structures involving the FEAs (field emitter arrays) and the application of these new cathode structures in EFD (Electron Fluorescent Display), EFLCD (Electron Fluorescent Liquid Crystal Display) and MFD (Microtip Fluorescent Display) type direct matrix addressed type display. One aspect of this invention is related to eliminating the difficulty large area FEA cathode manufacturing by combining the control apparatus of EFD and EFLCD with the efficient electron emission process of the FEA. The second aspect of this invention is related to the employment of local embedded circuit components to help enhancing the uniformity of the electron emitting process of FEA. The preferred embodiments of the invented cathode structure in EFD or EFLCD employ multiple pieces of field emitter arrays sparsely disposed inside a vacuum chamber to generate the electron clouds which is then accelerated and controlled by other control means of EFD or EFLCD structures.

Abstract: In a cathodoluminescent display device, spacer elements are used to provide rigid mechanical support between the face and back plates when the chamber of the device is evacuated so that thin face and back plates may be used even for large-screen displays. The spacer support includes a spacer plate having holes therein for passage of electrons between the anode and cathode where a predetermined small number of one or more pixel dots corresponds to and spatially overlaps one hole, thereby reducing crosstalk. Shadow-reducing electrodes are employed on the back plate and spacer members alongside the cathode to cause the path of electrons from the cathode to the anode to bend towards the spacer members in order to reduce shadows caused by the presence of the spacer members. Various configurations of the two or three sets of grid electrodes may be employed to improve resolution and focusing.

Abstract: A cathodoluminescent device employs elongated grid electrodes such as small gauge wires for addressing and controlling the brightness of the display, thereby increasing the osmotic coefficient of the grid electrodes. End portions of the cathode filaments are bent into springs to reduced cold terminal effects. The edges of the face plate of the device are curved to reduced the visual effects of mosaic slots. The display may be operated at low anode voltage with increased luminescence so that full screen scanning is possible. Different sections of narrow strips forming a staggered structure strengthens the integrity of the device and reduces dark areas in the display.