Abstract: An electrodeless fluorescent lamp having an emission suppression arrangement utilizing a capacitive filtering element formed by a first conductive layer disposed on a portion of the interior surface of the lamp envelope, a second conductive layer on a corresponding external portion of the lamp envelope and the glass material of the lamp envelope disposed therebetween, achieves significant emission reduction yet at the same time reduces eddy current losses otherwise occurring at the second conductive coating portion of the capacitive filtering element. A plurality of slots formed in the second conductive coating are effective so as to reduce the circular flow of eddy currents around the second conductive layer, such eddy currents as would otherwise adversely affect the Q of the circuit.

Abstract: A novel and advantageous cathode structure for a field emission display apparatus is disclosed. A given pixel comprises a multiplicity of spaced apart emitter bodies on a support. A given emitter body comprises diamond and/or rare earth boride, and has a relatively sharp geometrical feature that facilitates electron emission from the emitter body. By way of example, the emitter body comprises diamond bodies grown on a support, or it comprises a pre-existing diamond particle that was placed on the support. Such emitter bodies generally can be provided easily and at low cost, and typically have naturally occurring sharp geometrical features such as points and edges. We have also discovered that appropriately grown rare earth boride films of thickness 30 nm or less may substantially improve electron emission from emitter bodies, and some preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a cathode structure that comprises a thin layer of, e.g., LaB.sub.6 on the emitter bodies.

Abstract: A cathode is formed of an alloy, which includes 0.01 to 5 mol % of scandium and 0.01 to 0.3 mol % of alkali metal. Base of the alloy has a work function greater than or equal to 4 eV and is silver, aluminum, or indium or the alloy thereof. Thickness of the cathode is preferably 1 to 30 nm. Also, as a cathode protection layer, an aluminum alloy is formed on the cathode in a thickness greater than or equal to 50 nm, the aluminum alloy containing 0.1 to 5 mol % of silicon, copper, scandium and/or manganese.

Abstract: Applicants have discovered methods for making electron emitters using commercially available diamond particles treated to enhance their capability for electron emission under extremely low electric fields. Specifically, applicants have discovered that electron emitters comprising ultra-fine (5-10,000 nm) diamond particles heat-treated by a hydrogen plasma, can produce electron emission current density of at least 0.1 mA/mm.sup.2 at extremely low electric fields of 0.5-1.5 V/.mu.m. These field values are about an order of magnitude lower than exhibited by the best defective CVD diamond and almost two orders of magnitude lower than p-type semiconducting diamond. Emitters are preferably fabricated by suspending the ultra-fine diamond particles, preferably in the nanometer size range, in an aqueous solution, applying the suspension as a coating onto a conducting substrate such as n-type Si or metal, and then subjecting the coated substrate to a plasma of hydrogen, preferably at temperatures above 300.degree. C.

Abstract: The electric lamp (1) has a lamp vessel (2), wherein an electric element (3) is accommodated. This element is connected to current conductors (4). Molybdenum end portions (5) of the current conductors extend outside the lamp vessel and have a skin of molybdenum nitride as a protection against oxidation.

Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a field emission device is made by disposing emitter material on an insulating substrate, applying masking particles to the emitter material, applying an insulating film and a gate conductor film over the masking particles and emitter material and removing the particles to reveal a random distribution of apertures to the emitter material. The result is a novel and economical field emission device having numerous randomly distributed emission apertures which can be used to make low cost flat panel displays.

Abstract: A discharge device for operation in a gas at a prescribed pressure includes a cathode having a plurality of micro hollows therein, and an anode spaced from the cathode. Each of the micro hollows has dimensions selected to produce a micro hollow discharge at the prescribed pressure. Preferably, each of the micro hollows has a cross-sectional dimension that is on the order of the mean free path of electrons in the gas. Electrical energy is coupled to the cathode and the anode at a voltage and current for producing micro hollow discharges in each of the micro hollows in the cathode. The discharge device may include a discharge chamber for maintaining the prescribed pressure. A dielectric layer may be disposed on the cathode when the spacing between the cathode and the anode is greater than about the mean free path of electrons in the gas. Applications of the discharge device include fluorescent lamps, excimer lamps, flat fluorescent light sources, miniature gas lasers, electron sources and ion sources.

Abstract: An electron gun for producing a beam of electrons has an elongated, linear thermionic cathode and a focusing electrode. The opposite ends of the cathode are engaged by adjustable holders which enable the spatial separation between the cathode and focusing electrode to be easily varied. The focusing electrode is electrically isolated from the cathode whereby fine tuning of the electron beam may be accomplished by varying the potential difference between the focusing electrode and cathode.

Abstract: A field emission cathode for use in flat panel displays is disclosed comprising a layer of conductive material and a layer of amorphic diamond film, functioning as a low effective work-function material, deposited over the conductive material to form emission sites. The emission sites each contain at least two sub-regions having differing electron affinities. Use of the cathode to form a computer screen is also disclosed along with the use of the cathode to form a fluorescent light source.

Abstract: A cold cathode fluorescent discharge tube is provided having, as an anode standing for one of discharge electrodes, a mercury discharge structure comprising a metal sintered body formed by sintering powder of a high melting point metal such as titanium, with mercury combined with the metal sintered body. The mercury discharge structure is so formed as to contain large amount of mercury and is therefore permitted to have a compact shape in order to obtain a requisite amount of mercury. The cold cathode fluorescent discharge tube permits a sufficient amount of mercury to be sealingly incorporated in the interior of the tube without decreasing the ratio of the effective luminescent length to the total length, having suitability to diameter reduction, and can be produced at low cost.

Abstract: A flat-panel display contains an emissive cathode structure and a generally flat encapsulating body that surrounds the cathode structure to form a sealed enclosure. The cathode structure contains electronegative atoms (22), which consist of oxygen and/or fluorine, chemically bonded to a carbon-containing cathode (10). Atoms (24R) of electropositive metal are chemically bonded to the electronegative atoms.

Abstract: An electron tube cathode has a hollow cylindrical structure formed by thermo-emissive wires mounted between two conductive supports. The two supports are mechanically fixed to each other. To prevent the deformation of the cathode when the heating is turned on and turned off, at least one spring is used, this spring being integrated with one of the supports and being placed in the vicinity of the thermo-emissive wires. The spring is made of a material possessing elastic properties which, at ambient temperature, are lower than or equal to the properties that it has at a temperature greater than ambient temperature.

Abstract: A color cathode ray tube apparatus is provided with an electron gun assembly. In the electron gun assembly, three electron beams, which are emitted from cathodes of an in-line arrangement, are accelerated and converged onto a phosphor screen by an electron lens system of the electron gun assembly. The electron lens system is constituted by a plurality of grid electrodes and includes individual electron lenses and a common electron lens. Each of the individual electron lenses has first and second lens powers in horizontal and vertical planes, respectively. Each of the electron beams is diverged in the horizontal plane and converged in the vertical plane by the corresponding individual electron lens due to the first and second lens powers. The common electron lens has third and forth lens powers in the horizontal and vertical planes, respectively.

Abstract: A discharge lamp having an emission part with a roughly spherical external shape and tube arms extending from opposite sides of the emission part, hermetically sealing parts formed on an end of each robe arm, and a lead pin extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tube arm, a tip of each lead carrying an electrode in the emission part, so that a pair of electrodes are arranged opposite one another in the emission part. Within each babe arm, in the vicinity of the emission part, a plate-shaped holding part which is made of a metal with a high melting point and through which the lead pin penetrates, is arranged roughly perpendicularly to the lead pin and serves for positioning of the electrodes.

Abstract: A field emission cold cathode element having a conducting substrate, a dielectric layer which is on the substrate and has holes, emitter electrodes each of which have a sharp-pointed tip and stand on the substrate in the respective holes in the dielectric layer, and a gate electrode layer which is on the dielectric layer and has apertures right above the respective holes in the dielectric layer. The tip of each emitter electrode is near or in the aperture in the gate electrode layer, and the emission current depends on the position of the emitter tip relative to the gate electrode. The dielectric layer and the gate electrode layer are largely removed so as to remain only in limited first regions which are around the holes for the respective emitter electrodes and limited second regions each of which connects one of the first regions to another. The partial removal of the dielectric and gate electrode layers is for reducing interlayer stresses induced by temperature changes.

Abstract: A field emission cold cathode element having a conducting substrate, a dielectric layer which is on the substrate and has holes, emitter electrodes which have a sharp-pointed tip and stand on the substrate in the respective holes in the dielectric layer, and a gate electrode which is on the dielectric layer and has apertures right above the respective holes in the dielectric layer. The tip of each emitter electrode is near or in the aperture in the gate electrode layer. The dielectric layer is largely removed so as to remain only in limited regions around the holes for the respective emitter electrodes, and a gate electrode layer is formed with, in addition to the apertures for the emitter electrodes, a number of holes in regions where the substrate surface is exposed by removal of the dielectric layer. The partial removal of the dielectric and gate electrode layers has the effect of reducing interlayer stresses induced by temperature changes, so that the gate electrode layer can be made desirably thick.

Abstract: To manufacture a cathode-ray projection tube, a glass face panel with a skirt portion is provided. The glass face panel is formed to satisfy the following formula 0.85.ltoreq.B/A, where A is a long edge length of the inner surface of the glass face panel and B is a short edge length of the inner surface of the glass face panel. Then, high and low refraction materials are alternately evaporated to form an optical multiple layered interference film having a substantially uniform thickness on the inner surface of the glass face panel.

Abstract: An electron beam aperture of a second grid electrode of a color cathode ray tube is a rectangular hole formed in the center of a slit-like recess having longer sides extending in the horizontal direction. The vertical width of the rectangular hole is greater than the width of each shorter side of the slit-like recess.

Abstract: In a color cathode-ray tube having a glass envelope including a panel portion, neck portion and a funnel portion coupling the panel and neck portions to each other, an electron gun mounted within the neck portion for producing electron beams, a phosphor screen formed on an inner surface of a faceplate the panel portion and a shadow mask having a plurality of holes therein and disposed opposing the phosphor screen so that the electron beams pass through holes in the shadow mask to impinge on the phosphor screen, the holes in the shadow mask are arranged with a varying arrangement pitch which is monotonically non-decreasing from a central portion to two opposite peripheral portions of the shadow mask as viewed, in a horizontal direction in the color cathode-ray tube, at an arbitrary position on the shadow mask in a vertical direction in the color cathode-ray tube.

Abstract: A spark plug for an internal combustion engine which has an electrode centrally mounted within an insulator with this insulator being mounted within an elongated housing. The outer end of the insulator is formed into a core nose with this core nose either being planar or mounded. Located directly adjacent the core nose and spaced slightly therefrom plus being spaced from the electrode is a ground ring. The electrical resistance is selected so that the spark will travel from the center electrode across the core nose and then jump the air gap at approximately the closest spacing distance from the ground ring and the core nose. The ground ring can be ported. The ground ring annular opening into the fire hole of the spark plug may be sawtoothed to form a mass of spark-emanating points.