A field emission display (FED) is a type of flat panel display using phosphor coatings as the emissive medium.

Field emission displays are very similar to cathode ray tubes, however they are only a few millimeters thick. Instead of a single electron gun, a field emission display (FED) uses a large array of fine metal tips or carbon nanotubes (which are the most efficient electron emitters known), with many positioned behind each phosphor dot, to emit electrons through a process known as field emission. Because of emitter redundancy, FEDs do not display dead pixels like LCDs even if 20% of the emitters fail. A similar technology to be commercialized in 2007 is the SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter) display.

Like LCDs, FEDs are energy efficient and could provide a flat panel technology that features less power consumption than existing LCD and plasma display technologies. They can also be cheaper to make, as they have fewer total components. As of yet, however, there are no consumer production models available in the United States, although small demo panels have been produced.

In 2001, Candescent had spent $600 million on producing FEDs with non-carbon material, but it was abandoned, with assets sold to Canon in August 2004, two months after filing for voluntary reorganization under Chapter 11. Advance Nanotech, in collaboration with the University of Bristol, has developed a similar panel that relies on specially doped diamond dust. Carbon Nanotechnologies claimed production would start in late 2006.

Potential advantages

• For gamers; game consoles with light guns may be able to react to the object that emits the sufficient lighting dynamics on the screen like on conventional CRTs which emit a flexible range of light dynamics; whereas, an LCD flat-panel monitor will only produce color and illuminate it with a backlight.
• Unlike LCD displays, the FED may have flexible handling of oddball resolutions that LCDs will emulate poorly due to their native resolutions.

External links

• http://www.empa.ch/plugin/template/empa/*/22272/---/l=2
• Carbon TVs to edge out liquid crystal, plasma?, article from CNET news.com
• http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.12/start.html?pg=19

Display technology

Feldemissionsbildschirm | FED | 電界放出ディスプレイ | FED