Abstract: An electric discharge tube or discharge lamp comprising a scandate dispenser cathode which is composed of a cathode body and a coating having an emissive surface, said cathode body including a matrix of at least one refractory metal and/or a refractory alloy and a barium compound which is in contact with the matrix material to supply barium to the emissive surface by means of a chemical reaction with said matrix material, and the coating containing one or more multilayers which may include a bottom layer of tungsten and/or a tungsten alloy, an intermediate layer of rhenium and/or a rhenium alloy and a top layer of scandium oxide, a mixture of scandium oxide and rare-earth metal oxides, a scandate and/or a scandium alloy, is characterized by a long service life and a high emission-current density.

Abstract: An electric discharge tube or discharge lamp, in particular a flat-panel display screen, includes one or more low-temperature cathodes having a holder, which, optionally, is provided with a heating or cooling element, a conductive bottom layer which is applied to the holder, optionally a substrate with dispenser material, and a top coating of ultrafine particles having a nanostructure. The top coating has a surface layer consisting of an emitter complex formed from an emission material comprising several components. The cathodes have a high reliability and a long service life under a normal working load. The emission is stable, which contributes to a constant picture quality throughout the life of the discharge lamp or discharge tube. The discharge tubes or discharge lamps in accordance with the invention have short switching times and the advantage that their construction has been simplified and that their energy consumption is low.