ATP Helps to Develop Field Emission Display Technology To Demonstrate High Definition Television
| Partnering
Organizations: |
Nano-Proprietary, Inc. (formerly SI Diamond), Austin, TX
Supertex, Sunnyvale, CA |
| Project
Duration and Cost: |
- 1995-2000
- ATP
funding amount: $3.5 M
- Industry cost-share amount: $4.0 M
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| Project
Brief: |
94-01-0282 |
| Status
Report of the Completed Project: |
Forthcoming |
The
Challenge
By the mid-1990s, several flat panel display (FPD) technologies offered varying degrees of advancement in color luminance, screen size, contrast, viewing angle, minimal after-images, and voltage consumption. However, no single technology provided all these features. To fill this gap, SI Diamond, an FPD developer, and Supertex, a high-voltage integrated-chip manufacturer, formed a joint venture to improve one type of FPD, the field emission display (FED). Significant progress might enable the United States to compete successfully against Japan, the market leader in FPDs. The goal of the joint venture was to combine the high-brightness image quality of the bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) and the thinner display format of the liquid crystal display (LCD) in a prototype display. |
Technical
and Economic Impacts
With ATP funding, SI Diamond (which changed its name to Nano-Proprietary, Inc. in 2004) and its joint venture partner, Supertex, learned key principles concerning emission display technology. Although the original materials focus of diamond-coated cathodes failed, Nano-Proprietary made important developmental strides:
- The company used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to deposit thin-film diamond field emitters and made prototype five-inch field emission displays (FEDs). While an important proof of concept was demonstrated, these displays exhibited low emissivity (< 50,000 electron emissions per centimeter squared [50 K/cm2]).
- Researchers developed methods that decreased the voltages necessary to make use of the color phosphors.
- Nano-Proprietary developed processes for large-area diode vacuum sealing, which is needed for electron emissions.
- The company demonstrated a 10-inch color video graphics array display in a vacuum chamber, with 640 by 480 pixels, in an FED prototype. Called a “HyFED,” the device was a hybrid of a cathode ray tube (CRT) and an FED. Supertex assisted in developing the chip driver.
- Work started on a third carbon materials FED option of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which has proved to be very successful.
These developments resulted in nine patents.
In addition, Nano-Proprietary and Dr. Zvi Yaniv, CEO of Applied Nanotech, Inc (subsidiary of Nano-Proprietary) were named winners in the 2005 Nanotech Briefs’ Nano 50 Awards for technology and innovation held November 2005 in Boston, MA. The award recognized the company for its work in CNT FEDs.
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Future Commercial Impacts
Nano-Proprietary learned key concepts from the ATP-funded FED project concerning higher emission site density. This led to continued CNT technology development, and the company had two CNT products in the market: carbon cathodes for X-ray tubes and controller modules for electronic billboards. Nano-Proprietary anticipates two additional CNT-based products within four years: liquid crystal display (LCD) backlights and ultraviolet air cleaners.
Date created: July 29, 2005
Last updated: August 5, 2005 |
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