Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, a process is provided for manufacturing a field emission display. In one embodiment, the process comprises disposing a self-dimensioning support member between a backplate assembly and a die assembly, and positioning the die assembly and the backplate assembly relative to each other such that the self-dimensioning support member is dimensioned relative to the distance between the assemblies.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying and disabling shorted electrode pain (such as field emitter tip electrodes shorted to grid electrodes) in a field emission display by applying a test voltage across the two electrodes in each pair. The magnitude of the test voltage is set below the voltage required to initiate field emission from the emitter tip electrode. Because no field emission occurs at this voltage, the test voltage should produce no current flow through good (non-shorted) emitter tips. However, current will flow through emitter tips which are shorted to their respective grid electrodes. In one embodiment, the current flow vaporizes the bad emitter tips themselves. In another embodiment, the current flow thermally damages a removable link connected in series with either the shorted emitter tip or the shorted grid electrode.

Abstract: A method for controlling a field emission display to reduce emission to grid during turn on and turn off is provided. A field emission display (FED) includes emitter sites formed on a baseplate; a grid for controlling electron emission from the emitter sites; a display screen for collecting electrons to form an image and a power supply. In order to reduce emission to grid during turn on, the display screen is enabled by the power supply prior to enabling of the emitter sites. An anode-baseplate voltage differential is thus established prior to electron emission. For turn on, the method includes varying the capacitances of the control circuits for the display screen and grid such that a time constant (RC) for the grid is larger than a time constant (RC) for the display screen. Alternately the method of the invention can be implemented during turn on using software, using time delay circuit components, or using an emitter site control circuit to control electron flow to the emitter sites.

Abstract: A thin flat panel display is formed from two substrates uniformly spaced apart by a plurality of spacer members. The spacer members are formed into bundles, held together by binder material, and sliced into a plurality of thin discs. One opposing face of one of the substrates is provided with patterned arrays of first and second arrays of different adhesives. The discs are placed on the adhesives and processed to activate the adhesives, remove the binder and the second adhesive thereby reducing the number of spacers remaining in the assembly to only those adhered by the first adhesive. The second substrate is then juxtapositioned on the first substrate assembly and bonded thereto.

Abstract: A high resistance resistor for regulating current in a field emission display is integrated into circuitry of the field emission display. The resistor is in electrical communication with emitter sites for the field emission display and with other circuit components such as ground. The high resistance resistor can be formed as a layer of a high resistivity material, such as intrinsic polycrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon doped with a conductivity-degrading dopant, lightly doped polysilicon, titanium oxynitride, tantalum oxynitride or a glass type material deposited on a baseplate of the field emission display. Contacts are formed in the high resistivity material to establish electrical communication between the resistor and the emitter sites and between the resistor and the other circuit components. The contacts can be formed as low resistance contacts (e.g., ohmic contacts) or as high resistance contacts (e.g., Schottky contacts).

Abstract: A pilfer-resistant peg hook assembly for supporting a plurality of articles incorporating defined slots and enabling only one article at a time to be removed therefrom is formed of a peg hook and a flipper. The peg hook has a pair of opposed ends and a body connecting the same. One of the hook ends is configured and dimensioned to maintain the hook body in a substantially horizontal first plane when mounted on an appropriate surface, and the other of the hook ends is a free end. The hook body is configured and dimensioned to be received in the slots of the articles and extends only in the first plane. The flipper is pivotably secured adjacent the free end and is movable between an enabling orientation enabling at least partial passage of an article along the hook body and onto the flipper as the article initially moves towards the free end, and a blocking orientation precluding passage of an article onto the flipper as the article moves towards the free end.

Abstract: Photoetchable glass is used to form spacer elements for large area field emission displays. Frit dots are placed onto a substrate. A sheet of photo etchable glass is exposed to UV light using a mask such that the UV light exposes the etchable areas and does not expose the areas which will form the spacers. The etchable glass is then heat treated to crystallize the UV exposed areas and to tailor the coefficient of thermal expansion. Next the glass is adhered to the frit coated substrate and the UV exposed areas etched away leaving spacers adhered to frit dots.

Abstract: A photoresponsive material comprises molecular or polymeric semiconductors in which photogeneration of separated charge carriers proceeds substantially via an intermediate stage of a triplet exciton, where the generation of the triplet exciton may be facilitated by the presence of elements of high atomic number, and in which the generation of separated charges from the intermediate triplet excited states is facilitated by the presence of at least two semiconductive components, one of which is of high electron affinity and able to accept electrons, and the other of which is of low ionisation potential and therefore able to accept positive charge carriers, the difference between the electron affinity of the former and the ionisation potential of the latter being sufficiently low so as to allow the ionisation of a triplet exciton which is present on either of the two aforementioned semiconductive components or on a third component.

Abstract: A method for forming interelectrode spacers for flat panel display devices that employ reduced pressures, includes the steps of; forming a substrate out of an aerogel, xerogel photosensitive material (e.g., photosensitive glass, photosensitive aerogel, photosensitive xerogel); forming a pattern of openings and gas removal channels in the substrate; and then placing the substrate between a display screen and base plate of the display device. The substrate is formulated to be light weight, insulative and with a high compressive strength for resisting atmospheric loads placed on the display screen by the reduced pressure. In addition, the substrate is formulated to be easily etched, laser ablated or photochemically machined and assembled as a third member spacer structure.

Abstract: A method for evacuating and sealing a field emission display package is provided. The method includes forming a cover plate, a backplate, and a peripheral seal therebetween. The backplate is formed as a sub-assembly which includes a seal ring and a getter material. The seal ring includes compressible protrusions for initially separating the cover plate from the seal ring to provide evacuation openings. During a sealing and evacuation process the packages are placed in the reaction chamber of a furnace. The pressure in the reaction chamber is then reduced and the temperature is increased in a staged sequence. During the evacuating and sealing process the evacuation openings formed by the compressible protrusions provide a flow path for evacuation. As the sealing and evacuation process continues, the compressible protrusions and seal ring flow and commingle to form the peripheral seal. At the same time the getter material is activated and pumps contaminants from the sealed spaced formed within the package.

Abstract: A replacement track is specially designed for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip. In one embodiment, the replacement track is provided with removable longitudinal segments in the front portion to allow a reduction in the longitudinal length of the track member to fit in a channel, and the back end of the replacement track is enlarged either in width or in height relative to a back end of the channel, so as to limit by abutment therewith the forward movement of the replacement track in the channel.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing phosphor screens is disclosed. The method uses "sol-gel" for disposing a thin film of phosphor on a transparent substrate. The thin film of phosphor is applied in continuous form or in the form of an accurate dot pattern. The rastering of said dot pattern is performed either by screen printing before annealing the sol-gel, or by selective laser curing of a continuous thin film and washing off the non-cured portions. The phosphor screens are useful as monochrome or as full-color faceplates of field emission displays or cathode ray tubes.

Abstract: A replacement track for a display track channel has a generally planar, slightly flexible, longitudinally elongate track member defining a front portion, a back portion, and a body portion connecting the front and back portions. The front portion defines a wedge-shaped front for lifting articles supported by an existing track of a channel above the existing track and on to the front portion as the front portion is moved between the articles and the existing track. The body portion defines a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of longitudinal edges connecting the top and bottom surfaces, the body portion having biasing means on at least one longitudinal edge thereof for maintaining the track member in a channel and preferably on both longitudinal edges thereof for centering the body portion within the channel.

Abstract: A non-photolithographic, physical patterning process, which is useful for selectively etching of a substrate, is provided. The process comprises electrostatically charging liquid droplets which are selectively etchable with respect to the substrate, dispersing the droplets onto substrate in a pattern; and etching the substrate using the droplets as a mask.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a novel etching process for a semiconductor material which inhibits corrosion of metal comprised of pretreating the material, preferably with a surfactant, and then exposing the material to a mixture comprising salt, a buffered oxide etch, and optionally a surfactant.

Abstract: A method of preparing a silicate-containing phosphor is provided. The method includes combining a mixture of metal or metalloid compounds with a gaseous silicon-containing in an amount sufficient to convert the compounds to silicates, and heating the silicates under conditions effective to form a phosphor.

Abstract: A mask and a method for forming a mask on a surface of an underlying layer of material used in semiconductor device manufacturing. The mask is a mixture of mask particles and spacer particles. The spacer particles space the mask particles apart from one another to control the distance and the uniformity of the distribution of mask particles across the surface of the underlying layer. The spacer particles and mask particles have different physical properties that allow the spacer particles to be selectively removed from the surface of the underlying layer. The spacer particles are preferably removed from the surface of the underlying layer by selectively etching the spacer particles from the underlying layer. After the spacer particles are removed from the underlying layer, the mask particles remain on the underlying layer to provide spaced apart mask elements on the surface of the underlying layer.

Abstract: A semiconductive conjugated copolymer comprises at least two chemically different monomer units which, when existing in their individual homopolymer forms, have different semiconductor bandgaps. The proportion of said at least two chemically different monomer units in the copolymer is selected to control the semiconductor bandgap of the copolymer so as to control the optical properties of the copolymer. The copolymer is formed in a manner enabling it to be laid down as a film without substantially affecting the luminescent characteristics of the copolymer and is stable at operational temperature.The semiconductor bandgap may be spatially modulated so as to increase the quantum efficiency of the copolymer when excited to luminesce, to select the wavelength of radiation omitted during luminescence or to select the refractive index of the copolymer.