Focusing properties of dual-gate field emitters

Field emitters are used as distributed electron sources in applications suc h as field emission displays (FEDs). Reducing the angular aperture of the e lectron beam increases the resolution and luminance of the FED. This study comparatively analyzes the focusing properties of several kinds of dual-gat e emitter structures. The configurations considered are the coplanar and co axial gate types, and also the coaxial gates structure with protruding emit ter, considered for the first time in this context. The simulation work was performed using the SLMION 3D 7.0 software package. Several conclusions ar e drawn concerning the suitability of double-gated emitter structures for e lectron beam focusing. (C) 2001 Americnn Vacuum Society.