A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW-TYPE OF THIN-FILM FIELD-EMISSION DISPLAY BY EDGEBREAKDOWN OF MIS STRUCTURE

A new type of field emission display (FED) based on an edge-enhanced e lectron emission from metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) thin-film st ructure is proposed. The electrons produced by an avalanche breakdown in the semiconductor near the edge of a top metal electrode are initia lly injected to the thin film of an insulator with a negative electron affinity (NEA), and then are injected into vacuum in proximity to the top electrode edge. The condition for the deep-depletion breakdown ne ar the edge of the top metal electrode is analytically found in terms of the ratio of the insulator thickness to the maximum (breakdown) wid th of the semiconductor depletion region: this ratio should be less th an 2/(3 pi - 2) similar or equal to 0.27. The influence of a neighbour ing metal electrode and an electrode thickness on this condition are a nalysed. Different practical schemes of the proposed display with spec ial reference to the M/CaF2/Si structure are considered.