A stand-alone flat-plane lighting device in a diode structure employing highly crystalline SWCNTs as field emitters

Abstract We have developed and fabricated a visible-light flat plane-emission device in a simple diode structure composed of a cathode containing high crystallized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) dispersed in an organic In 2 O 3 –SnO 2 precursor solution and a non-ionic surfactant. The SWCNTs were annealed at a high temperature of 1300 K in a low-vacuum atmosphere of 10 − 1 Pa to obtain highly crystalline SWCNTs as field emitters. The anode, on the other hand, was fabricated with phosphors coated by ITO film and assembled with the cathode in a cavity separated by glass plates by a stable assembling process to produce a stand-alone flat plane-emission panel, with a stable and high vacuum of under 10 − 4 Pa. This device with its diode structure has a low driving voltage, stable current fluctuation, and low energy loss with electron emission in the cathode electrode. Furthermore, the brightness for power consumption, which is an important factor when comparing luminescent devices, was over 10,000 cd/m 2 with low power consumption of under 1.0 W when using a white phosphor in the simple diode panel. This cathode device in a flat plane-emission panel has the potential to provide a new means of everyday lighting in daily life.