Design of carbon nanotubes for large‐area electron field‐emission cathodes

Abstract— Electron field‐emission displays offer a viable option for the next generation of flat‐panel screens. Boasting high‐quality images in terms of good color saturation, fast refresh rate, and high brightness, these displays have the potential to offer above and beyond what the current market leaders, LCD and plasma. However, for the realization of such a new display disrupting the incumbent LCD and plasma displays, not only does the image quality need to be better, but fabrication costs and suitable manufacturing processes need to be in place at reduced cost. Many viable cathode materials have been proposed in recent years, one of which being the use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in various forms (aligned growth, screen printing, and polymer matrix). In this review, a series of recent experiments investigating the field‐emission characteristics of carbon‐nanotube systems for possible use in the display industry is presented.